The glass facade of George Town’s premier business hotel, Traders Hotel (formerly Shangri-la Hotel), where Jerit cyclists were to hand over their memo to Guan Eng at 1.30pm
Pakatan leaders were inside attending a conference to outline their “New economic vision for Penang and Malaysia”. US multinational electronics corporation, Agilent Technologies, and the Shangri La hotels chain were the sponsors of the event, to which participants had to pay RM250/person to attend. Ironically, the session scheduled just before lunchtime was “Getting the politics right to enable sustainable economic growth that is socially just.”
But nobody cared to ask the workers and representatives of marginalised communities outside what they thought of this vision. Instead, the front door of the hotel was locked while hotel management and security looked concerned. Not that the Jerit cyclists were desperate to get in. All they wanted to do was hand over their memo and leave. Still, it would have been a great gesture if the Pakatan reps inside had invited the cyclists and activists in to listen to the aspirations and hopes of workers and marginalised groups. The Pakatan folks would have been seen as pro-people.
As it stands, the Pakatan leaders in general look increasingly pro-market, pro-investor and pro-business while lowly paid workers, who are struggling to make ends meet, do not seem to figure very highly on their list of priorities.
Jerit cyclists peering through the glass to see how the rich wine and dine: The poor in Malaysia can only dream of the lavish life-styles of the upper middle-class and the rich.
The rich top 10 per cent of the population earn 22 times what the bottom 10 per cent earn, making Malaysia one of the most unequal societies in East Asia in terms of income disparities. The Jerit campaigners and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress have been calling for a decent minimum wage in the country that would enable workers to live in dignity. A minimum wage would also help the economy as it would give the public, especially workers, greater purchasing power.
Outside the locked main entrance: Penang state exco member Abdul Malik holding the fort and negotiating with police, who had given the cyclists, who arrived at 1.10pm, half an hour to disperse or risk arrests. Also present was Sungai Siput MP Jeyakumar Devaraj.
Guan Eng was delivering his closing remarks at the conference and came down at around 1.45pm after being told that the police had given the Jerit folks a deadline to disperse. At first, he was expecting to walk out of the main entrance. But even the Chief Minister was not allowed to exit through the main entrance. Instead, the hotel’s top management ushered him to the smaller front door near the reception. Once he stepped outside, Jerit representatives finally got to hand over their memo.
Guan Eng said he supported their campaign – though he was able to spend just a couple of minutes with the Jerit representatives.
PRM’s Gary Nair flags off the cyclists at Swatow Lane in Penang after treating them to a meal at his Passions of Kerala restaurant in New World Park
Apart from Gary, Deputy CM Ramasamy and a PKR state exco member who said they supported the campaign, the response from other ruling politicians in the state wasn’t exactly one of whole-hearted support. “They could have been more pro-active in supporting the cause of workers,” Suaram’s Choo Chon Kai told me.
This was what the Pakatan leaders were busy talking about inside the hotel:
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I think if you are a Chinese or Indian in this country, you have no reason whatsover as an excuse that you will not at least become a middle class. We are not spoon-fed, never expected to be spoon-fed and never should ever expect spoon-feeding…
I was a very very poor child from a very very poor family, today I owned 3 companies and doing well all because I worked my a*** off and understand the value of education.
I think Indians and Chinese in this country should continue to cherished our ability to compete and not fall flat on following the others in this country that are dependent on spoon-feeding from small to the grave.
Hey Anil, you mentioned PRM’s Gary Nair, no doubt i know mr. gary nair (very nice guy), but what PRM stands for .. Parti Rakyat Malaysia.. and if yes.. whats his position.. because i have shown interest in PRM before.. is it true PRM once ruled Penang..
Pro-market and stuff. That’s what i’m worried about.
Anyway, did the police arrest one of these cyclists? They’re young people! Goodness.
WE WANT EQUALITY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.. WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR IT REGARDLESS WETHER ITS PAKATAN OR BN OR WATEVER, OUR VOICE WILL BE LOUD AND CLEAR, AND OUR ACTIONS WILL BE LOUDER, MALAYSIANS HAVE BEEN PRESSED OVER THE YEARS… KETUANAN MELAYU – PAK LAH, PLEASE CLARIFY KETUANAN MELAYU BEFORE YOU LEAVE OFFICE, AS YOU SAID U R STAYING ON FOR REFORMS ? …
If this is the approach adopted by any group to voice their grievances (to crash a function) then I still say these pressure groups have a long way to go.
Who were the speakers at the conference? You mean if you organised a conference, you would ask any Tom, Dick or Harry gathered outside for an interview or their opinion? The media (news item see?) maybe but for the organisers? This is right out of the scare page of your posting on the Wi-fi thingy the other day. Your definition as letting gate-crashers in to speak as being “pro-people” beggars belief. Maybe we should agree to disagree.
On the other hand, having the police detain them was also heavy-handed; there was no need for that as they were not impeding the progress of the aforesaid conference.
If anyone and everyone who turns up (invited or not) at a conference actually speaks; who would actually be there to listen? I thought the better way was to see what the speakers had to say about sustainable development vis-a-vis the lot of workers and take it from there.
That said, minimum wage and an active government ministry for the oversight of human resources and employment issues is the way forward. Union busting moves (with tacit approval and cooperation of the minsitry) should be a thing of the past.
If that is the aim of the above delegation, I am not sure the right forum would have been this one and in this way.
Jerit was trying to walk in on a PRIVATE function. Poverty is no excuse for rudeness.
HOW PEOPLE ARE BEING SEPARATED?
People nowadays are not only separated by glass
But right from the beginning separated by class
Besides race and religion plus political crass
Whereby the weak will be trampled like grass
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng – 071208
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Sun. 7th Dec. 2008.
What is going on now. Everybody is so confused. What do we want? Everything seems to move at the same time without anyone really clarifying the issue and allowing the rest of the public to be aware of what is going on.
Let’s be fair on the reporting. I think this is how it started and I was there to see it myself. The handover of memo was clearly planned awhile ago. Although it was suppose to be done an hour earlier (1230pm), the International Conference attended by almost 400 people was ending by 1 pm. Nevertheless, it spilled over.
The CM’s press secretary received a call that the handover of the memo was suppose to be at 130pm. Hence, LGE was wrapping up the session and it is of no intention to ignore them. YB Malik was there to at least see and talk to the delegates. I see that the police was determined to end the gathering in the front of the hotel. What could have happen better was the key cyclists (5 of them) could have waited at the entrance. Once LGE came down, they would then handover and the rest would come forward.
The article seemed to say that the state does not support the movement. Seriously, they did. If not, why did LGE come over and receive the document. We actually had to rush LGE to the lobby as we gotten word that the police gave them till 140pm to disperse. Failing which, arrests were to happen. I think to be fair to all, the JERIT cyclists came earlier. I think that also could have attracted Special branch folks to be stationed outside and inside the hotel since 11 am.
Nevertheless, YB Malik stood in btwn the police and the gatherers. Very galiant effort on his part to at least represent the state and pacify the boys in blue. He himself got pushed around by the cops.
I think there is always a fairness of reporting. I am just trying to make this one better seen from the inside. There is no poor or rich. It’s just an incident.
Anyway, Gary Nair called me a nite before and I somehow alerted the rest. Very nice of him and good to hear again!
My goodness these are school children who only wanted to hand over a memorandum. No need to arrest them. Compare this to Khairy Jmaluddin’s protest in KL some years back and not being hindered at all tells us the police have got double standards.
Very apt imagery.
I remember reading about the dillemas which the German Green’s Party faced when they first became part of a ruling coalition. A political party which wins power on a platform of the rights of the Have-Nots inevitably finds it has to work WITH the rich and powerful elite. The key test is how it manages to get work done in the context of a modern Capitalist economy, without betraying its ideals.
I hope DAP and PKR politicians keep that in mind as they learn to walk the Corridors of Power.
BTW, the buffet at the Trader’s Hotel IS pretty expensive. The charge for one person would feed a whole family for a couple of days. I never go there myself (too costly, lah) , but had a meal there a few times courtesy of my employer.
“Mut on” has a case over the delegation’s method, but it’s still valid to question Pakatan’s economic policy. There’s a need to go beyond the neoliberalism pushed forward by Reagan – the ideology that privileges the already privileged and now getting choked by the inequalities it engendered through globalization. Economics by definition is about what people do, yet today the people factor has been largely ignored or forgotten as something called “the marketplace” takes over. Yet, in the ultimate sense, labor still belongs to the people, and they’ve every right to insist that they get the proper share of their product. But I’m not too sure that the present group of Pakatan leaders, long nurtured under a capitalistic BN government, has what it takes to recognize this.
LChuah
As it stands, the Pakatan leaders in general look increasingly pro-market, pro-investor and pro-business while lowly paid workers, who are struggling to make ends meet, do not seem to figure very highly on their list of priorities.
Anil, you and I know there are so many degrees of Left & Right in politics. The current crop of Pakatan Rakyat (which unfortunately acronymizes as PR) leaders can be said to be slightly left of center.
Since the PKR Congress, Anwar himself has been chanting the mantra: ECONOMY! ECONOMY! ECONOMY! This reveals that ultimately it’s MONEY that will determine policy… and this is what gives me pause as to whether we the people should ever pin our hopes on politicians. I think RPK has come out smelling the sweetest since Permatang Pauh because he represents himself & the rakyat – not any political party with its own growth agenda.
Yes, it would have been a genuinely gracious gesture if someone from LGE’s entourage had spoken to the hotel GM & suggested they serve a tray of cold drinks to the protestors while they were waiting for LGE to show up. It’s an insidious game, power & money… and that’s why humanity still seems so spiritually retarded… it’s only those in power who are retarded because they get sucked into the illusory world of appearances & PR! Maybe Pakatan Rakyat ought to consider PAR instead of PR as its acronym
anil, your blog is today one of the most informative, with some very interesting point of views.
thank you for keeping this blog.
Wage is depends on your effort and academic qualification. In this reality world, nobody owe you a living. If you want to success, you have to strive at the very beginning. I come from a poor family but I study hard to earn a degree. I wanted to become a doctor but have been denied place because of racial quota system in our local university. I scored 3 As in my STPM in 1994 and finally got into National University of Singapore to do my degree. Thank you Singapore Goverment. Now, I can earn better to give a comfortable life to my family. If goverment wants to help the poors, they should give greater awareness in education to these groups especially their children. I always remind my children about the importance of education.
Setting a minimum wage will jeopardise foreign investment in our country unless our nation become a Knowledge Economy like Singapore.
PRM’s Gary,you have my respect and support for treating our young Malaysian cyclists for lunch at Swatow lane.What happened to our LGE and his Pakatan Rakyat pledge to help poor people? Sorry my YB, my hope for your future is fast fading by the day!
did you see the kind of bicycles some these people were riding? i had a careful look at them i other media and they are not cheap. presumably around rm300 to rm500. and the second picture here shows one of them wearing a easily rm135 branded cycling pants.
while i’m all for it for their effort, this particular post of yours seem quite bias. the least they can do is appoint one representative to go in and hand over the memo.
coming in a big group do appear intimidating. fortunately, the hotel did right by not allowing them in otherwise they can be charged for loitering in a public premises.
furthermore, hotel guests would be frightened and wondering what’s the commotion all about especially with the recent events in bangkok and mumbai still fresh in everyone’s mind.
this is, afterall, a sponsored conference to deliver the state government’s plans for further investment to come in.
I am not sure if my messages would be published again in this blog. If so, that proves that Anil himself is guilty of preventing people from commenting.
Anyway, I got to agree with Jeffrey Chew’s comment. Frankly,it’s not to the benefit of the state government of not supporting the movement in a much decent way. Especially, the mainstream media would easily have LGE and its government for LUNCH. Anytime, man
Anil,
Do hope to publish my message. Otherwise, you are as hyprocite as those you criticise in your posting
My humblest regards,
looes74
from Singapore
Oh by the way, No development! No jobs! More poor people! More crime! That’s how Singapore made it to the first world. That’s the way we should emulate. Of course, a more socialist way
PR leaders sould se them first . They must know without the rakyat who vote them..thy will not be here at tis tradrshotel.
thank u very musc Anil for yr good info..
Gary Nair? Well, ask him what he did during the PGCC campaign after Tsu Koon ate at his restaurant at new world park? He became silent…hmmmm………..
One of the comments abt expensive bikes obviously comes from someone who has no idea what things cost nowadays. RM300-500 is considered cheap. In fact, I don’t think bikes come any cheaper than that these days.
They’re also heavy and they they’re outfitted with the cheapest parts which doesn’t last. As for the cyclist, would it look better for their cause if they wore rags as befitting the middle class instead of proper cycling pants(which incidentally are padded and are meant for long distance riding) Look at their cause and support it, not what they’re wearing or the bikes they’re riding on.
Anil,
The report on the Jerit “tour” is very interesting though I must say that comments posted is most confusing.
Firstly, members of Jerit had congregated at the Traders’ Hotel to hand over their memo to Guan Eng.
Question, did Guan Eng refuse to accept the Memo? Was he forced to accept the memo or did he accept it willingly? Did he tell the Polce/his minders to keep the protestors away from him? Your report mentioned that it was the Hotel management who did not want LGE to go out through the main door- perhaps due to their concern for his safety???) BUT the point is as above- did LGE try to avoid/refuse to receive the memo.
Secondly, it will be most unfair if the media should view the fact that the Hotel management refused to allow Jerit members to barge into the Hotel and to interfere with the conference- a private affair.Let’s be reasonable on this matter, the conference is one where participants are discussing you can say, the future of Penang and malaysia for that matter. Is there anything wrong with that? I would rather they discussed that than what others would discuss- like how to cut up the proverbial “cake” among cronies. The fact is that the participants of the conference do have their right to be at the conference and the Hotel does have a duty to the participants that the participants have their meetings undisturbed. The question here is, Did the management, Abdul malik and Jayakumar tell the Jerit members to wait for the opportunity to meet LGE after his speech ? If so, they have done a good job. Also was there violence/public protest or were the Jerit members causing concern to the Public. If anything, I would say that the Hotel (and PRM for that matter) had failed to take this opportunity to turn this ‘affair’ into a great PR excercise. Just serve the Jerit members and even the police with some ice cold drinks (ice water/syrup)and make sure that they can wait at a cool and convenient space and that would be the greatest Public Relations Coup of the year for the Hotel and PKR.
The report of the memo hand-over is in itself a non event. However, I am concerned that the report of the Conference in itself seems give a negative spin to the situation. Yes, it would be good if the working class was represented but surely we cannot expect any ‘working class’ to participate – hey it costs Rm250 per person lah and unfortunately, most working class people do not have the self confidence to speak out for themselves. Their respective unions however should have been represented. If they were in vited and chose not to attend – then the Unions should be faulted. of course if the unions were not invited, then the organizers have failed to do the right hing.
My councern sir, is the reports of the torching of the bucycles of members of Jerit and the, as usual, heavy handed handling of the Jerit members by the Police and here, I do not believe that we can blame the Penang Govt as the Police obviously took their orders from their Bosses in Putrajaya – how else do you xplain the similar action of the Cops in Johore?
mut, the cyclists were there only to pass a memo to the CM and were not concerned about the conference. In fact, the State representatives already knew about the memo beforehand, like Jeffrey Chew said.
Jeffrey, everything could’ve run smoothly were it not for the unnecessary police hindrance.
asiseesit, the bicycles and shorts were bought in bulk so cost much less than what you assumed.
Thank you to the workers at Passions of Kerala and Gary Nair for lunch.
Kris Khaira
AJK Kempen Basikal Jerit
Pulau Pinang
Khris
Totally agree.
kris khaira, you really did clear up some of these doubts. thanks.
while i do not object the campaign itself, some aspect of management must be in place. eg. gathering in large group in a hotel premises do look intimidating.
the post here was clearly lopsided and the title itself gave an impression of a very segregated society. so some of these information you just clarified should have been gathered and put in. since our police forces are not going to get any fairer with the general population for justice, we have to be one step ahead (legally) of any impending hindrances by so called authorities.
and by the way, shylock, i am a cyclist myself.
Let’s be honest! Who would you rather have as a state government, BN or PR? Come on! Tell me! If you voted for PR in March 2008 because you wanted change, then please give PR some time to adapt & change the system. If you “wrongly” voted for PR, then I’m sure you’re not from Penang. For those who had voted for BN, sorry mate, too bad. You are still very lost!
By Robotman
(Voted for PR – in other state – but not from Penang)
Therewill be a way to grow up if we work for it ratter than waiting for somebody to spoon feed.Put your effort on positive thigs and u wil see the outcomes as soon as posible.
“As it stands, the Pakatan leaders in general look increasingly pro-market, pro-investor and pro-business while lowly paid workers, who are struggling to make ends meet, do not seem to figure very highly on their list of priorities.”
This has always been PAP position in Singapore. Are you aware there is no law protecting workers in Singapore. DAP is just the same.
You got it right.
I’m all for pro-business, pro-investment.
We cannot live in an isolated state. As some of the readers above have noted, no investment, no jobs, more poor people.
Do you not realize that there is only a finite amount of investments available to be located in some part of the world? Do give credit where it’s due, and if the investments go elsewhere, could be India, or China or Timbuktu, then where will the state or federal government find the budget to retrain the poorer community.
Rightly or wrongly, do try to put the horse in front of the cart, and not the other way round.
But also look at it this way. At least LGE came out to receive the memorandum, instead of some people in Putrajaya who grabbed it from a young girl’s have and tore it apart. Which would you rather have?
If PR want to extend their term of governance in Malaysia,they should never forget the low income Malaysians and working poor contribution to our country tremendous growth over the past few decades, any policy formulated by them need to take the welfare of these hard working class of Malaysian into consideration instead of corporates’ interests. It is time for PR government to redress the inequality distribution of wealth in our society before thing get out of control.
High FDI does not automatically translate into lesser Malaysians getting poor, it probably help in job creation, without fair and live able wages and high value jobs, our poverty rate will not change much because many will remain working poor in this high inflation environment while the CEO continue to exploit our human resources.