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Key Highlights

• Opposition tries to show unity
  
  
• Malaysian Bar irks Putrajaya
  
  
• Ventilators hiccup
  
  

Opposition tries to show unity

The divided opposition attempted to show a united front with a memorandum seeking an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the emergency.

But some key figures such as Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng were absent. Both were in their constituencies.

Many PKR and DAP MPs showed up at the gathering led by Pejuang chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu.

It was an improvement compared to the press conference of May 18 last year that brought to fore clear cracks in the opposition and things soured since.

That press conference was also an attempt to show a united front after the first Parliament sitting following the Sheraton move. Top leaders from Mahathir’s faction, Warisan, Amanah and DAP were present but it was snubbed by PKR.

Attempts were made to patch up relations early this month with Harapan’s announcement of a "big tent" approach but the commitment by their topmost leaders remains to be seen.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Najib's defence ‘scored own goal’, court hears This is over BlackBerry Messenger chat logs.
	Jho Low among Najib's 'macai', DPP submits 'Ridiculous to give Najib money as trickery'
	Employer arrested for allegedly abusing maid Canes and iron rod seized.

Malaysian Bar irks Putrajaya

The Malaysian Bar’s decision to challenge several emergency ordinances that granted Putrajaya sweeping powers did not sit well with the government.

De facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan implied the Bar was out to seek popularity at a time when Putrajaya was battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mahathir shot down the oft-repeated pandemic narrative, insisting that the emergency was “illegally” declared for a weak government to gain dictatorial powers.

Amid the emergency, Malaysia’s Press Freedom Index slipped 18 places, sandwiched between Congo and Nigeria. Reporters Without Borders cited the “restoration of more authoritarian rule”.

Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil sarcastically congratulated the PN-led Putrajaya for reversing the significant rankings improvement made under the previous Pakatan Harapan government.

HIGHLIGHTS

	J-Kom denies paying staff RM15k salary A man claiming to be a J-Kom staff said he was paid RM15k.
	145k undocumented migrants registered with govt Home minister says 73k registered to be legally re-employed.
	Two more Raya videos promoting gambling detected Police carry out more arrests.

Ventilators hiccup

Amid spiralling Covid-19 cases in Sarawak, the Health Ministry deployed more ventilators to the state to help with an increasing number of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

However, a local assemblyperson claimed eight out of 10 of the life-saving equipment stopped working after barely a week.

The Health Ministry said the sensitive devices were tested before delivery and may have been damaged in transit. They will be replaced.

Meanwhile, Sarawak ordered all university students to remain on their campuses to curb movement after education institutions were closed for 14 days.

In Kelantan, mosques and surau at the subdistrict levels were ordered to close. Both states have seen a spike in Covid-19 cases.

HIGHLIGHTS

	MOH to probe after students slapped with RM1.5k fine Complaints of double standards were raised.
	MOH: Covid-19 cases on the rise worldwide 'It's not only happening in Malaysia.'
	95 percent of frontliners are vaccinated  They have received at least the first dose.

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 2,341 new cases yesterday (April 20), the sixth consecutive day where cases were above 2,000 and second-highest since the resurgence.
  
  
• Sarawak recorded the highest number of new cases nationally for the third consecutive day with 600 cases while Kelantan set a new state record with 429 fresh infections.
  
  
• Active cases continued to rise steeply to 21,268. At the current rate of increase, beds for Covid-19 patients could run out by early next month.
  
  
• For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.
  
  
  

What else is happening?

• Malaysia's infectious disease expert Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman was appointed to the World Health Organisation's Science Council.
  
  
• A total of 259 secondary school students in Kelantan tested positive for Covid-19 in just two weeks.
  
  
• Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim will initiate legal action against senior lecturer Kamarul Zaman Yusoff for linking his welfare work to "Christian evangelists".
  
  
• The Malaysian Gurdwara Council came to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's defence after a comment he made at their event was used to suggest that Malaysia was "almost bankrupt". Muhyiddin had said the government "didn't have much money left".
  
  
• A man whose family alleged he was beaten by police while in detention died after a month in the ICU.
  
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	Reports on 'thousands' of p-hailing deaths misinterpreted Ministry asks to stop circulating the reports.
	MCMC urged to block online gambling sites This is proposed, instead of arresting actors in gambling ads.
	Harapan cautions against cronyism in chicken imports This is as govt considers increasing import permits.

What are people saying?

	Two solutions to end the political deadlock By Wong Chin Huat
	Breaking the glass ceiling with grit, tears and faith By Jacqueline Tan
	The inconvenient truth about ‘net zero’ emissions By Meenakshi Raman

CARTOON KINI