Good morning. Here are our picks for today.
Key Highlights
GPS’ role in PM drama
Anwar to revel in PAS strongholds
Greenwashing due to timber cert loopholes?
The Kini Morning Brief team will be taking a short break until April 24 (Tuesday). Malaysiakini wishes all our Muslim readers Selamat Hari Raya.
GPS’ role in PM drama
In an interview with Malaysiakini, Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof revealed the reasons why Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) - which emerged as the fourth largest bloc in Parliament with 23 seats after the last polls - changed its stance from backing Perikatan Nasional chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin as the prime minister candidate.
Two days after throwing its lot with Muhyiddin, GPS had signalled that it would support any prime ministerial candidate chosen by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
On another matter, Fadhilah said the attempt to reserve 35 percent of Dewan Rakyat seats for Sabah and Sarawak was vital to uphold the spirit of the Federal Constitution - which provided protections for the two territories.
He explained that when Malaysia was formed, 35 percent of the seats were intentionally allocated to Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, which meant that Malaya would not be able to amend the constitution without the consent of the three other member states.
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Anwar to revel in PAS strongholds
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will hold his Hari Raya open house in the PAS-controlled states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.
Kedah will host the national level event on April 29 at Hotel Raia, Alor Setar from 10am to 2pm.
This will be followed by the second leg at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Bharu, Kelantan on May 12, which will kick off at 7pm. The following day, Anwar will host an open house at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Kuala Terengganu.
This is the first time that a prime minister’s open house is being held outside of the Klang Valley.
Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah will be holding their respective state elections together with the Pakatan Harapan-controlled states of Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan in the coming months.
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Greenwashing due to timber cert loopholes?
With an export value of RM25 billion in 2022, timber is a significant contributor to the Malaysian economy. But since the 1990s, there has been ongoing friction between the indigenous community and the logging industry, particularly in Sarawak.
The Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) was established under the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC), in response to this situation.
It was expected to provide a sustainable management approach to the logging industry, so its practices are environmentally sustainable and protect the rights of the indigenous community.
But whether it has met this mark remains a question.
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Views that matter
 | By Francis Paul Siah |
 | By S Thayaparan |
 | By Andrew Sia |
Other news that matter
Newly minted Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra) special committee chairperson R Ramanan has vowed that “even God won’t be able to protect those who committed wrongdoings”.
The immigration department arrested a Malaysian couple linked to a syndicate trafficking children to Europe. The husband and wife were detained when officers at the immigration department branch in Kuala Lumpur found discrepancies in the passport application process for a child.
Sixty-three Chinese independent high schools (SPMC) nationwide will receive an allocation totalling RM15.75 million from the Finance Ministry next month.
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