Parliamentary agenda

Good morning, here's what you need to know today.

Key Highlights

• Parliamentary agenda
  
  

• Zahid’s move
  
  

• Durian farm dispute
  
  

Parliamentary agenda

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is still in hospital, but he continues to make a number of key decisions. Among them was an announcement that Parliament will convene on July 26.

Here’s the agenda for the session:

• Government to brief MPs on the National Recovery Plan (NRP)
• Relevant laws to be amended and standing orders to be drawn up to allow for a future hybrid (physical and virtual) sitting
• To table the emergency proclamation and ordinances in both Houses

However, some MPs are worried that the sitting is being set up to be a rubber stamp.

This is because Covid-19 matters will be limited to a “briefing” while the legislative agenda will mostly focus on the hybrid sitting.

The government did not indicate if the tabled emergency proclamation and ordinances will be debated.

Muhyiddin also chaired the National Security Council (NSC) meeting from the hospital, which among others, decided that Penang can move into Phase 2 of the NRP.


HIGHLIGHTS

	M'sia needs stronger policy reform - HSBC This is to attract foreign investments.
	PAS becoming 'baffling', says veteran newsman Kadir Jasin questions PAS president's performance.
	Ismail Sabri's pol sec lodges police report over video He alleges the video by Lokman Adam is defamatory.

Zahid’s move

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was in a flurry of meetings amid speculation that he is working to take the party out of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

He had on June 21 issued a 14-day ultimatum for Muhyiddin to convene Parliament, something the PN government had been reluctant to do.

This was seen as a way for Zahid to justify taking Umno out of the ruling coalition but the excuse was rendered moot when, on the last day of Zahid's deadline, Muhyiddin decided to convene Parliament.

Sources privy to the manoeuvring said Zahid had secured a majority of Umno supreme council members to back the exit plan, but he is having trouble convincing Umno MPs.

Zahid had sought to meet the Umno MPs individually but a group involved in the Jalan Bellamy gathering organised another one on their own turf, where they invited Zahid to make his case.

The meeting extended until midnight but the outcome is not yet clear.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Police tighten control at all KL EMCO areas This was after an escape attempt.
	Not enough beds for critical patients Efforts are underway to improve capacity.
	KJ: Vax capacity increased to 130k jabs a day in S'gor Minister says there will be 7 new vaccine centres.

Durian farm dispute

The dispute between Raub durian farmers and a firm owned by the Pahang government and royalty over land flared up again.

The state government had accused the farmers of illegally planting on the disputed land and is evicting them but there is a stay on the eviction pending a decision by the court.

The farmers claimed the state government violated the stay of execution when it moved in to cut down their durian trees.

However, the state government claimed it was cutting down durian trees planted in an adjacent forest reserve and not in the disputed land, which is the subject of the court battle.

The tussle turned into a standoff, leading to the arrest of 18 durian farmers, including a 17-year-old.

Tras assemblyperson Chow Yu Hui, who accompanied the farmers, was also briefly detained.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Deputy minister slammed for ‘debunking’ call for aid 'People should not be made to feel bad for asking for help'.
	MP apologises over handling of aid request Mastura hopes the focus will be on the people.
	Kepong MP cries foul over conditions attached to cash aid Lim Lip Eng says the conditions are complicated.

 

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 6,387 new cases yesterday (July 5), the seventh consecutive day where cases are above 6,000.
  
  
• The number of patients in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) continued to climb to 923, just one shy of the record high of 924 on June 16.
  
  
• A total of 404 people have died from Covid-19 in the first five days of this month. The death toll now stands at 5,574.
  
  
• For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.
  
  

What else is happening?

• The government reiterated that grocery and convenience stores, supermarkets as well as mini markets can sell all goods on their premises during the lockdown as some continued to cordon off parts of their outlets due to an old ruling forbidding them from selling "non-essential" goods.
  
  
• Malaysia will work to get recognition for the AstraZeneca vaccines used in the country as it is currently not recognised by the European Union for its digital passport.
  
  
• Putrajaya walked back on its decision to administer Covid-19 vaccines to adolescents due to heart inflammation concerns. For now, it only advises the vaccine for teenagers with chronic diseases.
  
  
• The government promised to act after it was downgraded to the lowest tier by the US in its human trafficking report. Suhakam, meanwhile, proposed a royal commission of inquiry.
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	Digital ID in the works, full implementation by 2025 The ID can be used online and off.
	Cops probe Top Glove, woman over negligence claims This is over claims it led to a spread of Covid-19.
	Hakam condemns 'reprisals' over police brutality claim This is over a short animation about police brutality.

What are people saying?

	A tale of nasi lemak and ayam penyet By Fa Abdul
	Does Guan Eng really think Rais is an honest political broker? By S Thayaparan
	Here are our plans for Malaysia By Nathaniel Tan

KINI LENS