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Dramatic start for Dewan Rakyat; gov't allays LRT3 fears

KINI ROUNDUP | Here are the key headlines you may have missed yesterday, in brief.

Dramatic start to Dewan Rakyat’s first session

News from Parliament dominated the headlines yesterday as the Dewan Rakyat took a bumpy start to its first sitting since the historic 14th general election.

Among the highlights: Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi assumed the role of opposition leader; he and PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan led their respective parties in a walkout to protest against procedural matters in how Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Mohd Yusof was appointed.

They returned about an hour later to be sworn in, which Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang said was mystifying.

One notable Umno personality who stayed put during the walkout was Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, who said he wanted to show respect for the Parliament and show that BN is a credible opposition. Kimanis MP Anifah Aman also remained in his seat.

Ministry allays LRT3 concerns

The Ministry of Transport moved to allay concerns about the government cost-cutting measures on the LRT3 yesterday by providing a point-by-point response.

Several activists also dismissed fears about possible overcrowding in the train line, but also urged the government to release more information about the project for public scrutiny and reinvest some of the savings in other forms of public transport.

One activist, Mass Transit Improvement Association (Transit Malaysia) advisor Moaz Yusuf Ahmad, said the government should have set up a parliamentary select committee on public transport first before cutting costs on LRT3 and other public transport projects, to ensure adequate scrutiny.

In other public transit-related news, Economic Affairs Minister Mohd Azmin Ali said Malaysia and Singapore will discuss the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project by the end of the month.

A group of about 200 taxi drivers from all over the country staged a demonstration near the Parliament building to protest against the government’s decision to allow e-hailing services to continue operations.

Other Kinibites

PKR vice-president Mohd Rafizi Ramli estimates that the Pakatan Harapan-led government has spent nearly RM1.4 billion on fuel subsidies so far to maintain fuel prices.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad wrote a blog post lamenting that his idea of setting up a second national car is not gaining traction.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the sales and services tax (SST) will be reintroduced on Sept 1 at a rate of 10 percent for goods and six percent for services.

Lawyers representing Umno say they have written to the police asking them to furnish details on their raid on properties linked to former Umno president Najib Abdul Razak, saying that a “substantial portion” of the money seized belongs to the party and has nothing to do with 1MDB or SRC International.

Looking ahead

After yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong will address both Houses of Parliament today.

Several new senators will also be sworn into office this morning including DAP's Liew Chin Tong, Amanah's Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad and Hindraf's P Waythamoorthy.

This is to be followed by the swearing-in of a new Chief Justice of Malaya in the afternoon, and new ministers and deputy ministers in the evening.

Meanwhile, the NGO Pemantan Malaysia Baru will hold a demonstration outside Parliament to protest against DAP, which they claim is exploiting Mahathir and the government.

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