End of the road for BN’s reforms?

 Human rights, M'sian politics, Malaysian elections, Malaysian finance/business  8 Responses »
Oct 092008
 

Was Abdullah’s announcement that he would not be defending the Umno presidency due to the BN’s poor electoral performance? Or did it have more to do with flagging investor sentiment, which sparked a huge outflow of portfolio investments in the second quarter? That was something I mulled over when writing this article for IPS: It took exactly seven months after a severe general electoral setback for Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to announce that he would not be defending the presidency of the dominant party in the ruling coalition in party polls next year.

RPK in high spirits as new faces show up (updated)

 Human rights, Judiciary, Media  14 Responses »
Oct 092008
 

Blogger Whisperer sizes up the scene on Day Four of the RPK trial: The crowd was more than usual this morning with many new faces adding to our undying support for RPK. Say or think what you like… there is something special about this crowd. They are there for one common cause and yeah, they are extremely sentimental about it too. That explains the daily atmosphere around the courthouse. And it is this sentiment that moves many to tears everyday. By all means, it certainly has nothing to do with sympathy here. Those who were present should understand what I mean here. All the gestures (big or small) come purely from the heart…. Nurul Izzah made her appearance with her small entourage today. She took time to mingle with us before she left. Over the past four days, we have had Lim Kit Siang, Ronnie Liu (daily basis), Anwar with [Read more]

Has the Penang govt blundered?

 Accountability, Development issues  27 Responses »
Oct 092008
 

This whole business of converting leasehold land to freehold appears to have been done without considering the long-term implications. I know the state government, faced with budgetary constraints, is hoping to raise funds from land conversion. But has it considered the impact on the future price of land in Penang, which could put it beyond the reach of the lower-income group, and the future needs of the state for public land to build vital infrastructure and amenities? There is a good reason for some land to be classified as leasehold in the first place – though leasehold property owners may disagree. Now, the Queensbay project, for which the land conversion was done under the previous administration and defended by the present administration, is embroiled in controversy. Senior conveyancing lawyer Agatha Foo is quoted in theSun as pointing out a provision in the National Land Code which expressly prohibits the state [Read more]

Abdullah, the biggest casualty of the ‘tsunami’

 M'sian politics  27 Responses »
Oct 082008
 

It’s People Power. Exactly seven months after the 8 March political tsunami swept the land, Abdullah has announced that he will not be defending his Umno presidency. Consider it a delayed reaction to the stunning setback suffered by the Umno-led ruling coalition in the general election and the further erosion in support evident in the 26 August Permatang Pauh by-election. Abdullah is the biggest casualty of the ‘tsunami’. “It’s very disappointing,” said a Penang-based activist. “He was pushed out and he went away like a mouse.” But before anyone celebrates, mull over this: it leaves the door open for Najib to take over, though he first has to navigate past Razaleigh in the party elections before Abdullah will hand over power. If he does, are we in for another round of repressive rule ala Mahathir?

Anwar drops by at the RPK trial (updated)

 Human rights, Judiciary, M'sian politics, Media  26 Responses »
Oct 082008
 

kkitsam was in court this morning on Day Three of the RPK trial and sends us this report: I was there this morning. First time to court. Arrived there very early at 7.45am, wearing the uniform “I am with RPK”. The crowd grew bigger by the minute. From my chat with Marina, she said the cards sent to RPK on which were written “No to ISA” would not be passed to him. So from now on, I’m going to avoid that. Our hero RPK arrived at around 8.30am. The crowd was happy to see him; some even said it’s better for him to be in court rather than in the Kamunting cell. I got to squeeze into the court room, and by 8.40am, the room was full, with many others standing at the back.

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