While the rest of the world is moving towards bans on the free distribution of plastic bags, supermarkets in Malaysia are still happily dishing out such bags, which are an environmental nightmare. Why are we so gung-ho about plastic bags and what is preventing the authorities from asking supermarkets to stop freely giving out plastic bags and instead encouraging customers to use reuseable cloth or jute bags? Is it a case of apathy or is the ‘plastics lobby’ in Malaysia so strong? Our landfills, rivers, streams and drains are clogged with plastic bags of all sorts. Then, there are all those “mineral” water bottles. Even at the local corner shop or hawker stalls, we can say no to plastic bags and bring our own reuseable bags or containers instead. But be careful of certain reuseable bags that are not exactly environmentally friendly. This article from National Geographic News: Plastic-Bag Bans [Read more]
We have heard it said quite a few times now: that if the Penang government or Municipal Council were to cancel of even review projects already approved by the previous administration, it could be sued by developers. This has led to official inaction in a number of important cases ranging from the land rezoning of the Turf Club land, approved hill-slope projects and approved high-rise buildings in the heritage area. What if urgent state action is required in the public interest? Can official inaction be justified by the fear of being sued or of being held liable to pay compensation? Blog reader ashtanga, a lawyer, thinks not: LGE keeps worrying about lawsuits, for this matter (hill-slope projects) as well as PGCC and the Turf Club land. Part of his problem might be the quality of the legal advice the bureaucrats in admin feed him. Remember he seeks legal counsel from [Read more]
We are well behind many other countries in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) benchmarks. It’s a sad reflection of the state of our education system. We are just, well, average in the global class. Percentage of eighth-grade students who reached the TIMSS advanced international benchmark in mathematics, by country: 2007 Percentage of eighth-grade students who reached the TIMSS advanced international benchmark in science, by country: 2007 What does our Education Minister have to say about this?
