Opposition's last chance in budget vote and other news you may have missed

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

1. Entering the last week of the budget vote, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim's ability to prove whether he commands majority support in the Dewan Rakyat is still up in the air with reports claiming that he has managed to win over 10 Umno MPs, but this was promptly disputed.

2. The speculation also forced Umno's Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin and Kimanis MP Mohamad Alamin to deny that they have signed a statutory declaration to back Anwar.

3. BN secretary-general Annuar Musa said any Umno MP who may be supporting Anwar should come clean.

4. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang pointed out that despite claims that Perikatan Nasional (PN) does not command majority support in the Dewan Rakyat, the opposition failed to prove this during the Budget 2021 votes.

5. Working in parallel to Anwar is Warisan president Shafie Apdal who is trying to present himself as the alternative opposition leader but PKR MPs said the Semporna lawmaker should instead reflect on his own shortcomings.

6. However, Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub backed the calls, including by Shafie, to form a new grand coalition to unite the opposition.

7. This was amid the government's own efforts to form a grand coalition of coalitions comprising BN, PN and GPS but the latter said it prefers the current loose alliance, instead of a formal pact.

8. Amid the battle for Putrajaya, PKR also saw internal manoeuvring after unknown people leaked internal messages by PKR Youth chief Akmal Nasir criticising Anwar, which was used to brand him a traitor and push him to resign.

9. This prompted former PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli, who had quit politics, to break his silence and warn Anwar not to surround himself with "opportunists". Akmal was Rafizi's protégé when he was still active in politics.

10. On the Covid-19 front, the country recorded 1,229 new cases with five states seeing more than 100 new infections.

11. The Health Ministry revised down the quarantine period for travellers from abroad and close contacts of Covid-19 patients from 14 to 10 days, citing recent scientific data.

12. The government also intends to allow MPs who are under quarantine to attend the Dewan Rakyat sitting on condition they wear personal protective equipment.

13. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the country will boost its purchase of Covid-19 vaccines to cover 60 to 70 percent of the population, up from the initially planned 30 percent.

14. Meanwhile, Top Glove was accused of sacking an employee who blew the whistle about working conditions at the glove manufacturer's factory before thousands of the company's workers became infected with Covid-19.