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

Penang MCA says pro-death penalty drive catching on

Penang MCA Youth chief Lim Swee Bok said the party's campaign to gather signatures against the abolition of the death penalty is gaining traction.

However, several lawyers took to Twitter to slam MCA's drive as 'disgusting' and 'heartless'.

On another matter, lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla called on attorney-general Tommy Thomas to apologise over the 'shameful' tribunal to look into the alleged wrongdoing of six former members of the Election Commission.

The Human Resources Ministry said it would take a glove manufacturer to court over unpaid wages and other labour-related offences against its Nepalese workers.

Give EC powers to fine, says Bersih

Electoral reform group Bersih called for the Election Commission to be given the power to issue fines for minor election offences.

This came with Bersih reporting that 23 offences were committed in the recently concluded Cameron Highlands by-election, the highest among all by-elections since the 14th general election.

The group also revealed that almost 750,000 viewers tuned in to RTM to watch a televised debate organised by Bersih, featuring three Cameron Highlands by-election candidates.

A poll conducted nationwide late last year showed that nearly 60 percent of the Malays surveyed are unhappy with the Pakatan Harapan government's performance.

Other Kinibites

The Edge Media Group chairperson Tong Kooi Ong gave 1MDB whistleblower Xavier Andre Justo RM8.2 million (US$2 million) for the Swiss national's role in exposing the financial scandal.

Singapore's Transport Ministry said Malaysia has remitted the payment for abortive costs incurred by the republic for suspending the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project.

Several political analysts told Malaysiakini that the future of PAS-Umno's political cooperation would hinge on the outcome of the Semenyih by-election on March 2.

The Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, was sworn in as the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Looking ahead

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will hold a press conference after chairing the Harapan presidential council meeting.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will distribute mandarin oranges in her constituency in Pandan.