Good morning. Here's what you should know today.

Key Highlights

  • Who invited PAS to join govt?

  • Sanusi’s Penang claim

  • Interfaith mediation proposal

Who invited PAS to join govt?

The identity of those who allegedly invited PAS to join the coalition government remains a mystery.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim joined a chorus of government politicians who denied making such overtures.

PAS information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin claimed the invitation was done by none other than Lim Kit Siang, in reference to a statement by the latter.

However, it appears that Khairil may not be privy to certain information.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man denied that the offer came from Lim - a retired politician.

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Sanusi’s Penang claim

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has again opined that his state has rights over Penang.

After signing a border agreement with Perlis on Monday, Sanusi said that Kedah has no borders with Penang as the latter is part of Kedah.

For those in need of a refresher, in 1786 British colonialist Francis Light leased Penang from the then-sultan of Kedah in exchange for British military aid against Siam.

When Malaya gained independence, Penang’s status as a state in its own right was enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

Sanusi has repeatedly picked on Penang.

In 2020 he threatened to cut off the water supply to Penang if higher compensation was not paid.

Later in 2021, he demanded that Putrajaya increase the annual lease payments for Penang to Kedah - a continuation of the 1786 deal - be increased from RM10,000 to RM100 million.

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Interfaith mediation proposal

De facto Religious Affairs Minister Mohd Na’im Mokhtar proposed setting up an out-of-court mediation centre to settle disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims.

He said this can be used to settle cases such as custody disputes.

However, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism said this may prolong legal tussles, and risks being politicised.

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Other news that matter

  • Gerakan wants to contest 30 seats in the upcoming six state elections, with a focus on recapturing Penang.

  • A businessperson has submitted a document to the MACC on alleged links between PN and gambling companies.

  • Khairy Jamaluddin has filed an RM1 million defamation suit against Jamal Md Yunos over a dispute during the Umno general assembly in January.

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