The much criticised Penang Botanic Garden arches, one of which is tilting, are to come down, the Tourism Minister announced today.
Apparently the decision was made after another survey in USM revealed that 71 per cent of 1,225 respondents surveyed at the Garden wanted the arches removed. I am told Ng Yen Yen also said that in future, all Ministry projects affecting Nature and the environment would require consultation with civil society. I don’t think she mentioned the tilt at all.
The decision comes after weeks of public complaints and disquiet expressed in opinion polls and civil society protests.
The whole saga provides several salutary lessons for us; in fact, the decision to bring down the arches is highly symbolic.
Never underestimate People Power in influencing decision-making and even in over-turning decisions that seem irreversible. (Witness how the government also had to back down on sports betting.) People Power has now overcome the formidable arches, which even the mighty armies of imperial Rome would have had trouble bringing down!
It also illustrates the importance of public consultation when making decisions at the local level so that a broad cross-section of views can be heard and local sensitivities understood.
The arches also symbolise all that has gone wrong with our development process, which seems to emphasise mindless projects that pour concrete all over the place and damage the ecology. It is time we become more sensitive to the ecology and treat Nature with the reverence it deserves.
It is also time to hold those who decided/agreed to build the arches and constructed them accountable for the mess they created. Who will foot the bill? The culprits? or will the people once again be asked to subsidise the clearing of the mess through the use of public money?
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And Ng Yen Yen still had the gall to say that spending the RM150K for thearch and then pulling it down is worth it to stop the repeating criticism from the public.
I was thinking more about why pay the RM150K if the arch was leaning more and more? Surely if some contractor built a defective structure which is unsafe, he should not be paid.
Indeed, he should not only have to demolish the structure at his own cost and rebuild the structure properly, but also be subjected to an investigation and fined if found guilty of wrongdoing which led to the unsafe nature of the structure.
Why then is Ng Yen Yen talking about payment of the RM150K being OK?
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Please remember, this Minister said “2 million is nothing” when critisised for paying Michelle Yeoh’s husband as a goodwill ambassador.
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Aiyah, the contractor is (allegedly) her machai lah (?)
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casper, i must tell you, i like you very much… thank you very much for doing that …
i hate those MCA people… they are self seekers…
gerakan k, you seem very mild this time around, why, takut kena hantam ah?
anyway, hope you made tons in genting. please do something by voting for a change otherwise your children will curse you la, in the future.
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I’m still in mourning mood for my unprecedented lost in Genting (about 1/4 of the arches’ cost !!!). The amazing losing streak for 6 days.
Fortunately, some teams in World Cup like the Argentina, Holland and Spain had helped me recover a bit.
Also, your super hero LGE seemed very tame this time. A lost of principle or direction ???
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I suggest that the bricks (that is if bricks are used) from the arches be marked and sold as souvenir of this foolish project. Maybe some of the cost can be recoup.
If the arches are pulled down, then no evidence of the stupidity will exist.
Finally if the arches are be pulled down, would some entrepreneurs stage a demolition party. I am sure Penang people would like to have some fun. Ng Yen Yen can be the guest of honour. And oh, invite Gerakan K, too.
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No thanks !!! I better stay at home to watch World Cup. By the way, I think that LGE probably like the arches and that is why he prefer to stay mum on the issue.
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Ahahahaha, you mean LGE has the same (no) taste in fine arts as Ng Yen Yen ?
HAHAHAHAHA !!
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….the tilted arches being brought down looked sooooooooooooooooooooooo ARTIFICIAL and MONSTROUS/dangerous too. they dont blend with the ‘green nature’ of the botanical garden…..and it cost a bomb…….why WASTE so much of tax paywers’ money when simple strong wrought-iron arches costing less than a few hundred dollars, and planted with some less seen JADE vine(both of the red and greenish/blue varieties, something ‘rare’ for visitors to oogle and take photographs with i am sure, , would suffice??????????!!!!!!!!!!originally, whose smart idea was it, were any of the nature society people or the general public consulted before they were built?….., well, as usual the astronomical cost was probably designed to ‘trump up’ the charges for monetary gains???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1…………………???????????????
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LGE finally admitted in Chinese press that he has been bullied by a civil servant over the botanical garden project. He claimed that the federal civil servant threaten to withdraw the RM7million project if Penang state government refuse to accept the civil servant’s directive.
LGE admit that he has no choice but to accept whatever the federal government want.
If BN can use a RM7million project to induce LGE to betray Penangites, how can he expect Pakatan’s legislators not to betray the rakyat when millions of ringgit are used to induce them to cross over to be independent legislator.
If LGE can not differentiate what is good or bad for Penangites, how can he expect us to support him again in the next general election.
This is the first time in LGE’s history that he indirectly admitted he is a chicken bullied by BN. What a shocking revelation!
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Aiya, Ong, you know, I know, LGE is about MONEY.
LGE only cares about MONEY, LGE never cares about the Penangites.
For a mere 7 Mil (for the PBG upgrading project), he ‘sold out’ the Botanical Garden, which belongs to the Penangites.
Imagine if BN comes up with something like 700 Mil, what would LGE do?
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LGE is a not a good manager, he is like a salesman, good in talking.
He hold Penang CM post is a gross mistake for PR.
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If LGE can admit he made mistakes, then Penang PR still got hope. I afraid he think he is an impeccable man ….
His machai, Jeff Ooi is …. He should not in the politics and forever be a …. blogger to keep his ego high.
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LGE is *NOT* admitting that he made a boo-boo.
He is playing the same game MCA plays all the time – tell the Chinese one thing and then tell the non-Chinese another.
So far LGE has only done his lambasting against that “little napolean” in Chinese media.
Dare not even use English or Bahasa to do his lambasting(?)
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Yo Iron! Do you read English papers? It is in the Star too!
By the way, if you wish for a Penang bred CM, please stand against LGE in the next elections and let us Penangites decide, ok?
By the way, rope in Ong Eu Soon to be your running partner too.
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DAP (might) say “UMNO man will be next Penang CM” if you Chinese support BN.”
Don’t worry, PR will lose Penang, Selangor and Kedah in next GE. PR may regain Perak which I rate PR Perak is the best PR government.
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It’s time to use people’s power and civil rights if our CM got no guts nor creativity to counter the Feds bullying tactics. What’s the point in fighting for Rakyat’s rights to equitable, fair, safe and progressive living when the very leader himself is stymied by financial concerns. Leadership is not about money alone. The same goes for winning the hearts and minds of the Rakyat who are not money-faced. The same goes for dealing with incalcitrant developers whose money investment is not in the interest of Penang’s Heritage and her fragile environment.
Leadership power should be exercised with purpose, steadfastness (not flip-flop), principles, foresight, caring, responsibility, vision and of course the art of Sun Tzu.
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All those who have eyes knew it very well that since day ONE after 308, Penang government has been bullied by the Federal…
But very sad, some readers seem to have eyes but see not…
Poor Lim Guan Eng, if he fights with the federal, the federal will squeeze even tighter the funds allocation for Penang, then, the smart (the opposite i mean) Penang people will condemn him…
Now, he keeps quiet because afterall it is the federal’s project, what can he do, as if he has power over the federal, but those who have eyes but see not, make the most noise and complain about him… a no thank job really…
The irony is, they thank Puan Ng Yen Yen for making the decision to take down the 2 arches when these two ugly structures should not have been there in the first place and wasted millions of Rakyat’s money, as usual nothing new…
i think Azahar should be the next CM for the Penang people because they deserve one another.
“O”, i agree with you, i am always in favour of PAS in particular, Tok Guru, a very wise man but not Hadi Awang .
Ya, most PKR guys are the remnants of BN…
Anyway, let’s wish Azmin well, and let him prove himself.
Reformasi and Allah bless Pakatan !!!
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Can you imagine what will happen if Tok Guru no longer in PAS ???
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Nope, I can’t imagine what PAS would turn into when that time comes.
Maybe by that time PAS would become a Malay version of that “Makkal Sakthi” party, with UMNO as their ultimate master.
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Merge with Perkasa ???
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PAS has many professionals groomed for the future. You underestimate them, you’ll pay the price. MARK MY WORDS.
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* pukes *
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… GERAKAN boleh belah daripada Malaysia. Period.
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Kee, you are wrong to assume that our CM can do nothing.
See what has happened to Sarawak. Read up Sarawak Report to get a feel of what kind of environmental destruction the Feds can do to a state like Sarawak.
If we are perpetually helpless to mindless developments by the Feds, Penang can see more of these experimental, expensive projects some of which can be used as sabotage against the state administration. Will our LGE sit still and just do nothing?
See what happened to the Chung Ling dragon boat team-an accident? Had the state not allowed environmental damaging development causing heavy siltage in the channel, this needless loss of lives would (probably) not have happened at all.
Kee, how many more precious lives do we have to sacrifice in the name of “can’t do anything at all by CM” when ‘dangerous’ developments are going on in our midst?
Like a family, if my father can’t do anything for the family’s safety and welfare, I will kick him out!
Bo Lan Hoot!
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The Audacity to say that the Arc du Folly will be demolished in accordance with the people’s wishes!
So, why was it put up AGAINST the people’s wishes in the first place?
Seems like high handed decision made in isolation rather than consultation.
It also doesn’t make sense to pay the contractor for a shoddy job which would have come down on its own anyway!
It would indeed be 2 black eyes and some broken teeth for the people of Penang, if
1) We are billed for the arch which we never wanted
2) we are billed for demolition of defective arch
3) we are billed for bailing out someone’s high handedness and incompetence,
and all because it is in the people’s wishes!?
This time, this issue should not be allowed to die a quiet solitary death; something good should come out of it.
Suggestions?
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Read the message by Andrew and my reply.
Don’t demolish those ugly structures. Instead, use them as props to showcase the corrupt practices of the Malaysian regime, and turn it into “points of interest” for an alternative tour route – much like the “ghost / haunted house tour” in London – and offer it to the whole world.
And oh, make that “alternative tour route” a nationwide project. There is a certain “palace” in Klang, which by itself is a monumental showpiece of corruption.
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We Penangites are taken for … fools.
Fools b’cos we can do nothing, our leader can do nothing:
Just because it is Federal projects, the excuse is ‘GO AHEAD and JUST DO IT!’ without nary a care for what are the actual needs and wants of Penangites.
Fools b’cos we will be blamed for rejection:
And when projects aren’t delivered as promised, the blame game starts. Rightfully, Penangites won’t accept thrash works. And this rightful rejection (even at the start of projects) will be taken as an excuse to threaten cutting of future Federal funding.
Fools b’cos we are paying for shoddy, dangerous jobs and footing the mess.
Fools b’cos we act like paying beggars.
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But then we *ARE* fools, don’t we?
The ones with brains have moved away.
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Dear tunglang,
I am glad that at least you realised and that you also boldly admitted that you had been a fool for the past 18 years under BN/Gerakan.
At that time, mighty quiet, no complaint about the then CM, no noise at all for all the disasters that had happened to the lovely, shining Penang island…
I wonder why???
Maybe, the smart (the opposite, i mean) Penang people were all under the charm of that GREAT Dr M !!! Sad, indeed…
Good on you guys as you have learned to be critical on your CM, a good sign indeed.
Please choose your own CM “wisely” as it is your civil right like eating pork and gamblings, and please continue to support BN so that they will rule Federal forever, and let the country tumbling down and reduce to ashes, yeah?
Salam and Allah bless all of you!!!
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Your statement:
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Please choose your own CM “wisely” as it is your civil right like eating pork and gamblings
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My question: Can we exercise our civil right in Kelantan ???
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