Good morning. Here's what you should know today.
Key Highlights
Royal pardon bid
Judicial integrity
Red Axia
Royal pardon bid
Umno will apply for a royal pardon for Najib Abdul Razak.
The pardon bid is based on the sole dissenting judgment in the judicial review for Najib's SRC International case, which favoured giving Najib an acquittal.
Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abdul Rahman Sebli ruled that Najib was denied a fair trial during his final appeal to the Federal Court.
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Judicial integrity
De facto Law Minister Azalina Othman Said's letter to Najib's lawyer - which affirmed that the MACC believed SRC trial judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali to be in conflict of interest - has prompted legal eagles to rally in defence of the judiciary.
A group of former Malaysian Bar presidents described Azalina's letter, which has been leaked, and the MACC findings to be an attack on the judiciary.
Meanwhile, two former judges lent weight to arguments that the MACC was not empowered to make findings of conflict of interest, and that this should have been handled by the Judges’ Ethics Committee.
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Red Axia
A youth couple - one of whom is 17 - was caught on camera in a compromising position in a red Perodua Axia in Johor.
The video of the incident has gone viral, and the subsequent reaction by authorities - and some media - has been criticised for going overboard.
The couple spent a night in lockup as police investigated them under Section 377D of the Penal Code for gross indecency.
Police denied "parading" the couple, but an activist said the fact that they were handcuffed and the media allowed to photograph them were in possible violation of the Child Act.
Meanwhile, there is growing pressure for the police to also take action against the duo who filmed the video and allegedly harassed the couple.
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Views that matter
 | By Mariam Mokhtar |
 | By R Nadeswaran |
 | By Shahrir Abdul Samad |
Other news that matter
The appointment of 10 deputy exco members in Malacca means that 21 out of 28 (75 percent) of the state's lawmakers are members of the executive, with just five backbenchers and two opposition members.
Malacca Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh is aiming to have "zero-opposition" members in the state legislature before enacting an anti-hopping law, a move which a Harapan lawmaker said was a bad idea.
Former Merbok MP Nor Azrina Surip is the second former Harapan lawmaker to join the current Water Services Commission (Span) lineup.
The film and TV production complex Iskandar Malaysia Studios (IMS) was recently valued at RM32 million, eight years since it was opened after an investment of between RM528 million and RM748 million.
Khazanah has completely divested control of IMS to a consortium led by the current management in cooperation with a Singaporean media group - saying it was to encourage higher utilisation.
Titiwangsa MP Johari Abdul Ghani said the current EPF-backed loan scheme is worse for struggling contributors than another withdrawal due to loan interests.
Economists also opined that the EPF loan scheme is ineffective.
The Social Protection Contributors Advisory Association Malaysia proposed that workers be allowed to work up to age 65 of their own volition.
Gazetting of the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040 (KLSP 2040) has been postponed to May 31, to allow DBKL to engage more stakeholders.
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