New cabinet: What to look out for?

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

Key Highlights

• New cabinet: What to look out for?
  
  

• Reforms: Expectations vs reality
  
  

• Anti-vaxxers
  
  

New cabinet: What to look out for?

Newly-minted Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is set to unveil his new cabinet line-up today.

This was after the list of people he picked was presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday. The cabinet members will be sworn in on the coming Monday.

One of the things to look out for will be the size of the new government. Ismail Sabri's predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin had a team of 70 ministers and deputy ministers.

It was criticised as being bloated, compared to the Pakatan Harapan government which had 55 ministers and deputy ministers.

Another key thing to look out for is the position of deputy prime minister.

In the past, with Umno controlling the top two posts, the post of deputy prime minister was normally reserved for the Umno deputy president, who is seen as the natural successor to the premiership.

But with the fragmented political scene now requiring a more expansive power-sharing formula, appointing a deputy prime minister runs the risk of appearing to favour a particular party or faction.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Kedah health exco tests positive for Covid-19 Hayati reveals he's in Category 2.
	Ex-Melor assemblyperson dies of Covid-19 Wan Ismail Wan Jusoh was 66 years old.
	Healthcare personnel mobilised to Sabah, Penang and K'tan They are being deployed from Labuan.

Reforms: Expectations vs reality

The initial meeting on reforms for the country between Prime Minister Ismail and Pakatan Harapan, the largest opposition bloc, courted cautious optimism from both sides of the political divide.

Umno's Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said, who recently resigned as the Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker, even proposed that the vacant position be filled by an opposition MP.

Bersatu Youth also called for any reform efforts to incorporate former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin's proposal for anti-hopping laws and a term limit for the prime minister.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke moved to temper expectations, stressing that the discussions must be followed with concrete action.

Meanwhile, electoral reform watchdog Bersih urged the government and opposition to formalise their cooperation in order to ensure institutional reforms will become a reality.

Ismail's commitment to the proposed reforms will become more apparent after his cabinet is sworn in and his choice of the de facto law minister.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Islamic teachings credentials won't be issued to politicians MB reveals a new rule for Selangor.
	Two vigil participants claim trial They were charged under the Police Act.
	PM-opposition meet opens door to new politics - Saifuddin The Bersatu leader says the party awaits implementation.

Anti-vaxxers

With the government now offering more lenient restrictions for people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, those who are anti-vaccine find themselves in a quandary.

Anti-vaccine groups are now organising themselves to mount a legal challenge against the government.

While fully vaccinated individuals are now looking at the possibility of booster shots, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah maintained that the focus must be on the unvaccinated.

He stressed that no one is safe until everyone is safe.

Malaysia is aiming to vaccinate 80 percent of the population to achieve herd immunity but the percentage may need to be increased due to breakthrough infections from the more virulent Delta variant.

Breakthrough infections refer to incidents where vaccinated people are still infected with Covid-19, although the severity will be significantly reduced.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Army ready to reinstate soldier if he gets vaccinated The soldier was sacked for refusing vaccination.
	S'gor approves Penang's request to borrow 200k vaccine doses This is because the situation in Penang worsens.
	180k Cansino single-dose vaccines sent to Sabah The goal is to expedite vaccination in rural areas.

 

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 24,599 new cases yesterday (Aug 26), a record high.
  
  
• Daily fatalities climbed to a new high of 393, pushing the death toll beyond 15,000. The previous record was 360 on August 8.
  
  
• The situation outside the Klang Valley continues to worsen with Sabah, Penang and Johor hitting record highs. Each state recorded more than 2,000 new cases.
  
  
• For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital bed capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.
  
  

What else is happening?

• Upko formally joined Pakatan Harapan as its fourth party, in line with efforts to unite the opposition.
  
  
• The Sultanah of Terengganu is set to testify in a defamation suit against Sarawak Report editor-in-chief Clare Rewcastle Brown.
  
  
• Contract doctors criticised the government for being insincere in offering them permanent positions as all of them are in East Malaysia, even though every state is facing a shortage.
  
  
• A Selangor elected representative questioned the accuracy of Covid-19 death data in Klang as the figures are significantly lower than the number of burials reported in the district.
  
  
• Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching urged the government to roll out walk-in vaccination in Johor, similar to the Klang Valley, as the Covid-19 situation there deteriorates.
  
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	MP accuses Khairy of not keeping his word on Lynas He signed an extension to the licensing conditions.
	Unfair to grant privilege only to fathers - Azalina This is over automatic citizenship for kids born overseas.
	Cops record Segambut MP's statement Fake posters had targeted her.

What are people saying?

	Making an accord for reform and stability work By Chang Lih Kang & Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad
	#CodeRedForHumanity, are we pivoting fast enough? By Klima Action Malaysia
	Afghan refugees sailing in troubled waters By Syed Fawad Ali Shah

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