KJ outlines vaccine procurements and other news you may have missed

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

1. Special Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Committee co-chairperson Khairy Jamaluddin outlined Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccine procurements to date, indicating he was especially delighted with the deal Malaysia secured with Pfizer after seeing how much the Belgians are paying for the same vaccine, though Malaysia lacked the resources to get it as quickly as Singapore did.

2. Khairy said Malaysia has booked enough vaccine doses for its entire adult population, with options for more in case some fail to deliver. Three vaccine makers will also be collaborating with local companies to help develop the pharmaceutical industry here.

3. Retailers and wholesalers complained that congestion at Port Klang have caused perishable goods to spoil while pending clearance, while festive items were still stuck in the port even by the time the festivals were over.

4. Khairy said he is willing to brief the Public Accounts Committee on deals made with Covid-19 vaccine makers if it agrees to abide with their non-disclosure agreements, but PAC chief Wong Kah Woh expressed reservations. The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs said the government faces a difficult balancing act and it should provide more transparency.

5. Sarawak PKR has rejected Larry Sng’s resignation from the state party’s top post, but he insisted he would be no more than an interim leader and must be replaced by a Dayak.

6. Teacher Wan Zulfadli Ad-Dinnie Wan Azmi, or Cikgu Dinnie, taught his students in rural Sarawak how to make award-winning animated short films, after being introduced to the world of motion pictures by his film buff father.

7. Top Glove managing director Lee Kim Meow said a consultant had coached the company on how to handle whistleblowers properly, while the government launched at least eight investigations against another glove company that allegedly housed workers in squalid shipping containers.

8. Deputy Federal Territories Minister Santhara Kumar said there has been no formal request to repair the pork section of the Jalan Genting Klang wet market after vendors decried alleged discrimination.

9. Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz confirmed that the government will not be continuing the previous administration’s policy of funding Chinese independent schools.

10. Electricity users will enjoy rebates from January to June next year, while the federal government is writing off Pahang’s RM2.1 billion water debt.