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Key Highlights

• Noh's flood debacle
  
  
• Najib ignored SMS on 1MDB fraud
  
  
• Ex-Johor MB Osman Sapian dies
  
  

Noh's flood debacle

Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Minister Noh Omar is facing a torrent of criticism over alleged incompetence in the government's flood relief efforts in Selangor.

Noh - who was appointed as the Selangor National Security Council (NSC) chairperson in November - was given an earful by a flood victim in Hulu Langat over a slow rescue response from government agencies.

The woman claimed that it was a group of migrants who rescued her and others from rising waters, after desperate calls to authorities fell on deaf ears.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, who claimed he is now back as the Selangor NSC chief, said he would have deployed the army if he had been in charge.

But Noh claims that Amirudin was confused and that the latter was only the NSC disaster committee head, while he is still the NSC chief in charge of security issues.

He also claimed that Amirudin and the Selangor government could have already sought the army for help via a committee chaired by the state secretary.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Lawyers to sue S'gor over deforestation They claim it made floods worse.
	Orang Asli trapped by landslides They plead for supplies to be airdropped.
	'Jammed' Sri Muda sluice gate resolved TNB generator restored to power.

Najib ignored SMS on 1MDB fraud

Former 1MDB board chairperson Mohd Bakke Salleh told the High Court that Najib Abdul Razak did not reply to an SMS on Sept 26, 2009, informing him that US$700 million in company funds had been suspiciously diverted.

Bakke said this was not a normal reaction, as Najib used to respond to all his previous messages.

The US$700 million was meant for a questionable joint venture between 1MDB and Petrosaudi International (PSI).

What Bakke and others did not know, at the time, was that the diverted funds were going to Good Star Ltd, a company controlled by fugitive entrepreneur Jho Low who, coincidentally, was present at the 1MDB board meeting on that day.

Former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi previously testified that Najib had talked to Bakke via Low's phone before the meeting, to assure him that the 1MDB-PSI project was legitimate.

HIGHLIGHTS

	Madinah saved the original 1MDB audit report It contains material evidence, she said
	Ex sec-gen not satisfied with Zahid This is over a visa company's contract.
	MH17 trial: Prosecutors seek life sentences 'Defendants helped supply missile system'.

Ex-Johor MB Osman Sapian dies

Former Johor menteri besar Osman Sapian died on Tuesday night, two months after he suffered a stroke. He was 69.

A four-time Kempas assemblyperson, Osman's final years were perhaps the most notable in his political career.

He was appointed as menteri besar when Pakatan Harapan captured Johor in 2018.

Eleven months later, he became a casualty of tensions between then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the Johor palace, forcing him to resign.

After a year out of the limelight, Osman again became a major player in Johor politics following the Sheraton Move.

Although he initially sided with Bersatu to form Perikatan Nasional, Osman kept the state government - which had a two-seat majority - on its toes with constant speculation that he would defect and cause a hung assembly.

This speculation became even stronger after he started appearing at Bersatu splinter-party Pejuang's events.

He even toyed with moving a vote of no-confidence against the current Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad in retaliation for Umno's takeover of Perak.

As Osman's passing was more than three years after the last state election, no by-election will be called for his Kempas seat.

HIGHLIGHTS

	VTL scheme with S'pore suspended This is over Omicron fears.
	Three senators are sworn in They were all women.
	Death toll in devastating floods rises to 27 Highest since 2014 floods.

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 3,519 new cases yesterday (Dec 22)
  
  
• National R-number is at 0.90.
  
  

New cases by state:

Selangor (945)
Johor (467)
Kelantan (375)
Kuala Lumpur (279)
Kedah (219)
Pahang (214)
Terengganu (210)
Sabah (202)
Penang (192)
Perak (158)
Negeri Sembilan (121)
Malacca (67)
Sarawak (30)
Putrajaya (20)
Perlis (13)
Labuan (7)

What else is happening?

• An Indonesian domestic worker plans to sue a 'Tan Sri' for 12 years of allegedly unpaid wages. Her employer is suing her for not submitting her resignation before she escaped.
  
  
• The Court of Appeal rejected the government's bid to stay a High Court ruling that Malaysian mothers have the right to confer citizenship to overseas-born children.
  
  
• Endangered hawksbill turtles could become a major casualty of the Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone (M-WEZ) mega reclamation project, according to an environmental impact assessment for a sub-project.
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	Cop accused of forced oral sex Edict wants an independent probe.
	Zulkifli praises PJ gurdwara This is over flood aid efforts.
	Overseas postal votes still arriving too late Global Bersih wants this resolved by GE15.

What are people saying?

	If poverty is multidimensional, flood relief must be equally so By Nurul Izzah Anwar
	No excuse for poorly coordinated disaster management By Rais Husin & Ameen Kamal.
	Covid-Sense: An audit of the Malaysian Covid-19 response By Dr Amar Singh HSS

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