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Key Highlights

  • PM wooing youths

  • PN recruiting warlords

  • PKR-Muda fighting, again

PM wooing youths

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim appears to be making strides to woo youths ahead of the six state elections.

On Sunday, Anwar - a former student leader himself - vowed to give university students greater freedom to express criticisms.

He even walked back a Public Service Department (PSD) policy to stop scholarships for dentistry and pharmaceutical studies.

Later on Tuesday, the prime minister touted aspirations to make tertiary education free, except for the rich.

However, he said the government currently doesn’t have enough money to make that happen.

Youths have become an important voter demographic after the implementation of Undi18.

HIGHLIGHTS

I'll take my salary once the economy recovers - Anwar
PM: If flip-flop decisions will help rakyat, I am willing
Muhyiddin wants ballots of anger, tells voters state polls a referendum

PN recruiting warlords

PN is in the midst of recruiting 10 “sidelined” Umno warlords.

PN secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said an announcement would be made soon.

One of those leaders is most likely former Tanjong Karang MP Noh Omar - who has been appearing at PN events regularly but has not yet formally joined any of its component parties.

PN has also been trying to get Khairy Jamaluddin, although the latter has not given any indication he would cross that bridge thus far.

HIGHLIGHTS

Ngeh's views on 'religious freedom' become PN election fodder
MP wants PM disciplined for 'misleading' Dewan over 'Allah' issue
DAP to go 'all out' for Umno, don't dredge up the past - Nga

PKR-Muda fighting, again

PKR and Muda - which have been adversarial since the Johor state election early last year - are butting heads over the LCS scandal.

Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had wanted the scandal debated in Parliament, but his motion was rejected.

In response, he accused the government of being hypocrites.

PKR Youth retaliated by urging the Muar MP to not shift goalposts, while PKR deputy information chief Razeef Rakimin questioned if the lawmaker was “dense”.

HIGHLIGHTS

LCS committee hearing: PAC decries 'leak' by witness, press
EXCLUSIVE | Exposed: Shackles of rampant modern-day slave trading
Allocation for opposition MPs our basic rights: PN lawmaker

Views that matter

Sorry Kua, but Malaysians do not want genuine alternative
By S Thayaparan
Umno should apologise to the nation
By Dennis Ignatius
Social divisions affect people's reading habits
By P Ramasamy

Other news that matter

  • Three BN members have initiated a lawsuit to quash Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s decision to exempt Umno from deregistration.

  • Former MIC vice-president C Sivarraajh has been booted from the party’s central working committee.

    A source alleged this was for skipping a government function organised by the party.

  • The government wants to expand Jakim’s role to include helping draft public policy.

  • The government is targeting to rope in 200 companies for its Academy in Industry programme - which will train 20,000 school leavers to become skilled workers.

  • Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing has walked back his deputy’s remarks about bak kut teh - and said the ministry will strive to recognise both halal and non-halal variants of the dish a Malaysian heritage food.

  • A survey found Malaysia to be the second worst country in the world for transgender rights.

HIGHLIGHTS

IGP: Cops to seek Interpol's assistance to locate comedian
MP: Don't conflate basic rights with Western 'human' rights
Baling villagers plead with Sanusi to reject proposed quarries