Looks like another ‘happening’ night at Dataran Merdeka yesterday. A candelight vigil for Raja Petra. Check out Teoh Jit Khiam’s photoblog here. Great pictures and witty write-up. Nice to see more creative people emerging in Malaysia. And delighted to hear Raja Petra is out on bail. Welcome back, Pete!
It looks like we are going to hear more about the Penang Turf Club in the news. The controversy is simply not going away. Here are two more hot potatoes: First hot potato: No conversion fee charged When the status of the Penang Turf Club land was converted from open recreational to mixed development land, by right the state government should have collected a conversion fee from the developer – even if the developer had not applied for the conversion. But the conversion was nonetheless handed over on a silver platter by the previous state government for the PGCC developer’s benefit. The state waived hundreds of millions of ringgit in one fell swoop. How much would the fee be? Few outside the local government know for sure what the actual rate should be in this case. From one source, I hear it should be 25 per cent of the original [Read more]
Now this is why the Penang state government should not go ahead with its plan to install CCTV cameras in crime-prone areas. The only people to benefit will be the camera and equipment suppliers. The UK has the most CCTV cameras – but it has been an utter fiasco as this report from This is London: reveals: Billions spent on CCTV have failed to cut crime and led to an ‘utter fiasco’, says Scotland Yard surveillance chief Last updated at 11:22am on 07.05.08 The billions of pounds spent covering Britain with CCTV cameras has been an “utter fiasco” and failed to slash crime, Scotland Yard’s surveillance chief has said. Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville said a Metropolitan Police pilot project found just three per cent of street robberies in London were solved using CCTV images. He claimed the vast swathes of money spent on cameras had been wasted because criminals [Read more]
Spent the evening working with Mus on a press statement in response to the action taken against Raja Petra. It is just three days after we marked World Press Freedom Day. Not good. And downright depressing. But mind you, this move could backfire. It is high stakes poker, and I guess they didn’t anticipate that Raja Petra would refuse bail. Now he is in jail and the glare of the international media will focus even more on him, the Malaysian government, the judiciary and the Altantuya trial. Certain people are going to be shifting in their seats rather uncomfortably – or maybe having sleepless nights. They have no idea what Raja Petra is going to say in court, come October. As Malaysiakini observes, hauling Raja Petra to court has only turned him into a legend – if he is not already one. For it was Raja Petra and his Malaysia [Read more]
And so the baton is passed in the relay of life. From one true Malaysian and leading public intellectual, Rustam, and his blog… …. to another, as Mustafa K Anuar, the asst secretary of Aliran, kicks off his blog with his first full entry on World Press Freedom Day. When Mus told me he was starting a blog, I remarked that he would be taking up the blogging baton that Rustam has handed over. Mus is also coordinator of Charter 2000-Aliran, a citizens’ media initiative to promote press freedom, and fellow of the Asian Public Intellectuals (API) programme. Some of the best journalists in Malaysia today were taught by Mus and his colleagues – and they will undoubtedly be delighted to see his blog. Rustam and Mustafa – both wonderful people with a broad, universal outlook; both involved in the media; both passionate about the cause of justice; both Aliran [Read more]