Emergency declared and other news you may have missed

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KINI ROUNDUP | Here are key headlines you may have missed, in brief.

1. The government has declared a state of emergency due to the Covid-19 situation. While a civilian government would be maintained, there would be no elections nor parliamentary sessions, and emergency powers may be used to commandeer private healthcare facilities and even increase penalties for SOP violations.

2. An independent committee of health experts and bipartisan lawmakers will be set up to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on when to end the emergency. Despite this, critics from various quarters are sceptical of the need for an emergency and alleged it is a bid by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to cling to power. Learn what the emergency means in this KiniGuide.

3. Meanwhile, the movement control order is coming into effect in some parts of Malaysia, which business leaders fear more than the emergency proclamation. Learn more about the do’s and don’ts in the latest instalment of KiniGuide.

4. Analysts say the state of emergency would put a brake on any attempt to topple Muhyiddin’s premiership, but would not be a permanent solution to the ongoing political instability.

5. Former Umno supreme council member Nazri Aziz has joined the ranks of Umno MPs to withdraw support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin.

6. Covid-19 cases in the country reached new highs as 3,309 new cases were recorded in a single day and 190 patients are in intensive care units. Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin became the third cabinet member to be diagnosed with Covid-19 this month.

7. As the healthcare system comes under severe strain, Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said Covid-19 patients with mild or no symptoms will undergo quarantine at home.

8. Pharmaniaga Bhd and signed an agreement with Sinovac to fill-and-finish the latter’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate, which Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said will lead to cheaper prices.

9. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has deactivated its official Twitter account after netizens discovered old undeleted tweets that allegedly belonged to its previous owner.

10. A witness told the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur on Monday that that Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Felcra) Berhad paid RM150 million through five transactions to Public Mutual unit trusts for investment purposes.