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Here’s a brief recap of what you need to know today.

Key Highlights

  • Speaker rejects first anti-hopping case

  • New govt, new 'old' slogan

  • RM109,000 school aid stolen





Speaker rejects first anti-hopping case

Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul has rejected a bid to disqualify four MPs from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) who were formerly with Bersatu but switched allegiances after GE15.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin revealed that Johari had accepted the quartet's claim that they had joined GRS as direct members prior to the polls, and thus invalidated their Bersatu membership by being members of two parties.

Muhyiddin rejected this interpretation.

He also disputed the claim that the four MPs had exited the party on Oct 27, citing a letter from Sabah Bersatu with a list of candidates on Nov 3.

The four had previously been accused of backdating their move to join GRS in order to support Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.

Bersatu plans to challenge Johari's decision in court.

The anti-hopping law in its current state does not have alternate means of recourse to address party hopping, such as recall elections.

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New govt, new 'old' slogan

The Anwar Ibrahim administration is set to continue the tradition of each new government having its own slogan.

Malaysia Madani is expected to replace Keluarga Malaysia.

The new slogan has roots in the 'masyarakat madani' (civil society) concept espoused by Anwar in the 1990s, which called for a balance of personal liberties and societal stability.

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RM109,000 school aid stolen

A thief scored RM109,000 after breaking into a headmaster's car in Semenyih, Selangor.

The headmaster had withdrawn the large sum of cash meant for school aid and left it in a bag in the front passenger seat when he stopped to buy a drink.

The headmaster is accused of breaching protocol by not having an escort to withdraw such a large amount of cash.

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Views that matter

By P Gunasegaram 
By S Thayaparan
By Rani Rasiah




Other news that matter

  • Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar denied purposely snubbing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the latter's visit to the state, saying it was a case of miscommunication.

  • Anwar has been invited to MCA’s Chinese New Year open house, more than two decades after his unceremonious exit as a BN leader.

  • DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng's lawyer has furnished testimony from another trial to prove that the former Penang chief minister was not the recipient of RM2 million in bribes that were codenamed ”chocolate”.

  • The government is looking at the possibility of outsourcing legal aid to private practising lawyers so that more individuals who cannot afford legal fees will be assisted.

  • Cargo ship MV Dai Cat 06 which departed Perak on Dec 23 and was supposed to arrive in Sarawak on Dec 31 remains missing, along with its five crew members.

    Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau wants the cabinet to discuss this matter at its meeting today.

  • The speed limit on federal roads across the country will be reduced by 10km/h starting today until Jan 27 as a festive season safety measure.

  • The upcoming local film Pulau is being criticised for being ”obscene” after its trailer was released.

    Among the critics is former deputy religious affairs minister Ahmad Marzuk Shaary



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