In this week’s edition, find out more about the political uncertainty that has rocked Malaysia after Umno resolved to withdraw support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Also, read about the further relaxation of Covid-19 curbs in Singapore in sync with the Republic’s rising vaccination rate. 

Political uncertainty in Malaysia

The decision by the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), the biggest constituent of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) ruling pact in Malaysia, to withdraw support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has thrown the country into political uncertainty. But Attorney-General Idrus Harun says that Mr Muhyiddin and his ministers can continue exercising their federal powers, as there are no clear facts to show that he no longer has majority support in Parliament, writes Malaysia Correspondent Nadirah H. Rodzi. 

Get up to speed with the developments with Malaysia Bureau Chief Shannon Teoh, who takes a look at how things stand at the moment, as well as how the situation came to this. 

Political pundits are of the view that the move is not enough to unseat the administration, as the country can ill afford to have an election amid the coronavirus pandemic, writes Nadirah. Umno’s rationale for withdrawing support was that Mr Muhyiddin has failed to fulfil the conditions underlined by the party when it backed him to be prime minister in March last year, namely to spearhead an economic recovery and handle the Covid-19 pandemic, write Malaysia Correspondents Ram Anand and Nadirah.   

In the lead up to Wednesday night’s (July 7) decision, the simmering tensions in Umno had come out into the open in recent days, notes Regional Correspondent Leslie Lopez. All eyes are now on what will happen upon the reconvening of Malaysia’s Parliament on July 26, amid furious efforts by both Umno factions to corral support, writes Shannon.

Surge in Indonesian cases

Indonesia is bracing for a deadly spike in daily Covid-19 infections to 40,000 in a worst-case scenario by preparing backup health facilities and sourcing oxygen from neighbouring countries, including Singapore, writes Regional Correspondent Arlina Arshad. Amid the rapid spread of the disease that has left beds, oxygen supply and ventilators in short supply, Indonesian doctors are faced with the tough decision of who will live and who will die, writes Indonesia Correspondent Linda Yulisman. The sharp jump in cases has also plunged Bali into a second lockdown just as the island’s reopening was in sight, increasing frustration at the government, writes Regional Correspondent Jeffrey Hutton. 

Meanwhile, neighbouring Malaysia is seeing a new social media movement dubbed #BenderaHitam (black flag), which calls on social media users to share pictures of black flags to protest against the Perikatan Nasional government’s alleged failure to contain the pandemic and care for the people, writes Malaysia Correspondent Nadirah H. Rodzi. That has prompted a police investigation into the movement for allegedly containing seditious elements. 

Amid the economic misery, the Malaysian police have joined hands with the opposition to help residents raising white flags to signal they desperately need help, writes Malaysia Correspondent Hazlin Hassan. The country is also seeing a rise in suicides and calls to helplines amid the pandemic. A coalition of over a hundred Malaysian business and trade groups have warned of mass unemployment in the country if the government prolongs the Covid-19 lockdown, which is now in its third month, writes Malaysia Correspondent Ram Anand. Malaysia Bureau Chief Shannon Teoh spoke to experts who say that the latest Movement Control Order (MCO) in the country has been derailed by policy missteps and too little testing for the coronavirus. 

In Thailand, the first tourists have begun to arrive in Phuket under a “sandbox” experiment to allow vaccinated travellers to roam the island without quarantine, writes IndoChina Bureau Chief Tan Hui Yee. But some Thai nationals and expats overseas are using it as a tool to return home while avoiding Thailand’s mandatory quarantine, writes Thailand Correspondent Tan Tam Mei.

The reopening of Singapore

The step-by-step reopening of Singapore remains on track, with groups of up to five people now allowed to dine in at eateries from Monday (July 12) and more restrictions likely to be lifted by the end of the month, writes Straits Times Correspondent Yuen Sin. 

The eased restrictions have been made possible by the rapid vaccine roll-out in the Republic. Correspondent Lim Min Zhang notes that about 131,000 people have moved their second Covid-19 vaccination appointments forward – with another 200,000 yet to do so – after the Ministry of Health said eligible people would be able to schedule their first and second dose appointments four weeks apart, down from six to eight weeks previously. 

Rare cases of heart inflammation have been linked to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines that use mRNA technology, both overseas and locally, and Correspondent Clara Chong takes a look at the causes and the implications. 

On a lighter note, Correspondent Baey Zo-Er finds out what it’s like to hold a wedding in the middle of a pandemic, including the difficulty in keeping the guest list limited due to pandemic curbs. 

Ceca falsehoods

Singapore’s Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has debunked falsehoods about the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca), pointing out that nothing in the agreement implies that Singapore must unconditionally let in professionals, managers and executives from India, reports Senior Political Correspondent Grace Ho. 

Manpower Minister Tan See Leng told Parliament that the proportion of Employment Pass holders from India doubled to 25 per cent last year, from 14 per cent in 2005, which was driven by the rapid growth of Singapore’s digital economy, rather than favourable treatment, writes Correspondent Calvin Yang. 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says the misrepresentations of the Ceca have caused unnecessary public concern, reports Correspondent Hariz Baharudin.

Modi rejigs Cabinet

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has carried out a major Cabinet reshuffle that saw the Health Minister replaced and 36 new faces being inducted ahead of crucial state elections, reported India Bureau Chief Nirmala Ganapathy. 

The rejig was intended to boost Mr Modi’s sagging poll numbers amid massive case and death numbers in the coronavirus pandemic and severe economic hardship. The full extent of the impact in terms of deaths is heavily concealed by narrow definitions of Covid-19 deaths, fudged data and opaque death registries, writes India Correspondent Rohini Mohan.

In a worrying development, fake Covid-19 vaccination camps have been found in India, with scammers exploiting the heightened demand for jabs as experts warn of a third wave of infections. Compounding the woes, a Gulf ban on travellers from South Asia has left many Indians stranded and jobless, write India Correspondent Debarshi Dasgupta and contributor Sana Altaf. 

Meanwhile, Debarshi also reported on the struggle to save the Great Indian Bustard, one of the country’s heaviest birds that is on the verge of extinction.

US options on Hong Kong limited

In this week’s Power Play column, US Correspondent Charissa Yong finds that Washington’s options to make China change course on Hong Kong are limited, given the city’s status and an absence of appetite for tougher action among businesses. 

In a sign of the continued tensions in Hong Kong after Beijing imposed measures to control dissent, the police arrested nine people – six of them students – over a bomb plot, reports Hong Kong Correspondent Claire Huang. 

Separately, Japan has said it prefers a peaceful solution to the tensions around the Taiwan Strait, but will defend Taiwan if a Chinese invasion of the island threatens Japan’s security, writes Japan Correspondent Walter Sim. In a related development, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that a group of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft that flew into Singapore’s Flight Information Region (FIR) in May was not deemed to have posed an aerial threat, reports Correspondent Lim Min Zhang. 

Meanwhile, China Correspondent Aw Cheng Wei writes about the reasons why Singapore firms find China so attractive and China Correspondent Elizabeth Law looks deeper into China’s crackdown on tech firms such as ride-hailing platform Didi for illegally collecting user data.

Making inroads into Japan

In this week’s Asian Insider Special, Japan Correspondent Walter Sim and South Korea Correspondent Chang May Choon speak to Singapore start-ups that managed to make inroads into South Korea and Japan. Both markets are notoriously hard to crack due to barriers such as language, bureaucracy and traditional insularism. Click here for more Asian Insider special reports. 

Crazy about Korean culture

Viewership of K-dramas is increasing in India, with millions suddenly immersed in soap operas set in a country more than 5,000km away, writes India Correspondent Rohini Mohan in this week’s Letter from Bangalore. The interest in Korean culture has spilled over into other cultural forms from South Korea, such as K-pop, spicy Korean instant noodles and skincare, cosmetics and fashion from the country. Read here for more Letters from the Bureau.

Hope you enjoy this selection. Until next week, stay safe and thank you for reading The Straits Times.

Arvind Jayaram

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