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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 don’t fear the cameras.

But Mr Neville also castigated the police and claimed officers can’t be bothered to seek out CCTV images because it’s “hard work”.

The comments from Mr Neville, who is the head of the Visual Images, Identifications and Detections Office (Viido) at Scotland Yard, will further cast doubt on the spread of surveillance in Britain.

Britain has one per cent of the world’s population but, incredibly, 20 per cent of its CCTV cameras - the equivalent of one for every 14 people.

Last year it emerged the £200m spent on 10,000 crime-fighting cameras in London had had little effect on reducing offending.

A comparison of the number of cameras in each London borough with the proportion of crimes solved there found that police were no more likely to catch offenders in areas with hundreds of cameras than in those with hardly any.

Speaking at a security conference in London, Mr Neville claimed the use of CCTV images for court evidence had been very poor so far.

He said: “CCTV was originally seen as a preventative measure.

“Billions of pounds have been spent on kit, but no thought has gone into how the police are going to use the images and how they will be used in court.

“It’s been an utter fiasco: only three per cent of crimes were solved by CCTV.

“Why don’t people fear it? They think the cameras are not working.”…

So please don’t waste public money on CCTV cameras. Rather, get to the root causes of the rising crime rate and tackle them.

Meanwhile, hot off the oven:

Question #47 - Mei 2008

Liew Chin Tong (Bukit Bendera) asks the Minister of Housing and Local Government to state the direction and time frame to establish local council elections to start a new chapter of democracy in Malaysia.

Minister’s Response:
The Government does not plan to conduct any local council elections.

Well, we can’t wait for the BN-led Federal Government, which is so out of touch with the people’s aspirations. The Pakatan state governments must come up with a quick road map to push through local government elections.

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 members - and both genuine Malaysians.

One blog goes dormant and another springs to life.

Mus says he is starting his blog because he has

“this nagging desire to know how it feels to be a monkey, a prostitute and an unemployed, among other unsavoury things!

For the uninitiated, these ‘labels’ were hurled against Malaysian bloggers by the powers-that-be especially before the 12th general election”.

Visit Mustafa’s brand new blog.

Everyone knows that the Pakatan is trying to promote greater accountability and transparency. In terms of its Malaysian Economic Agenda, it wants to help those in need.

But beyond that, we know little about its economic orientation. How much will it rely on the open market and how much on state intervention. What kind of mix? Anwar has said he believes in a high-growth market economy tempered with humane social policies. Capitalism with a human face, perhaps…

But then, there are all kinds of people in Pakatan - from Pas folks, whe are aiming for a welfare state to the corporate boys in PKR to the socialists like Nasir and Jeyakumar. Whose views will prevail? Or will they reach some sort of happy equilibrium?

At the end of the day, will they be beholden to Big Business in their economic orientation? Or will they promote more people-centred policies that promote social justice and sustainable development to benefit the common folk?

POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Equitable Distribution of Wealth - The Challenge
By Anil Netto

PENANG, Apr 27 (IPS) - With Malaysia’s opposition pact in the ascendancy after stunning gains in a general election last month, some are wondering how different their economic policies are likely to be if they do wrest power, as many expect them to do, eventually.

Full article