High Chaparral » anilnetto.com

Scuffle breaks out at Komtar

Jul 232009

A scuffle broke out between a group of people believed to be linked to MIC Youth and one of Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy’s assistants at around 6.00pm today at Komtar, according to an eye-witness.

The MIC youth reps were there to hand over a memorandum to the state government offering to buy back the Kampung Buah Pala land for RM3.2 million.

After the handing over, which took place cordially, the MIC crowd were still gathered at the ground floor when the assistant allegedly shouted at them from the first floor.

This infuriated the MIC group, words were exchanged, and a few of them then raced towards the assistant. The assistant received a few punches, said the eye-witness, who was not sure if the assistant retaliated before fleeing with other aides to the government offices.

High Chaparral: Should Koh give a detailed explanation?

Accountability, Development issues, Malaysian finance/business 31 Responses »

Jul 082009

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy has reportedly said that the High Chaparral case is another example of a land scam.

A-ha! Just as we thought.

Ramasamy said there were hints of foul play in the transfer to the government officers’ co-operative:

We have been going through the minutes of the exco meetings when the decision was made to lease the land to the co-operative and some of the remarks made by the state exco members were shocking.

Which brings us to today’s poll question:

Does former Penang chief minister Koh Tsu Koon owe Penangites a detailed explanation on the Kampung Buah Pala crisis?

Yes (96%, 1,739 Votes)
No (4%, 66 Votes)
Not sure (0%, 8 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,812

Federal govt “ready to help”; Koh: Don’t blame me

Accountability, Housing, M'sian politics, Marginalised groups 46 Responses »

Jul 062009

Now we hear that the federal government is “ready to help” the High Chaparral residents, says Deputy Minister T Murugiah.

“Although the Barisan Nasional (BN) is not in power in the state, the Federal Government still belongs to BN and we should help the people, regardless of their race,” he said. Check out the Bernama report here.

Meanwhile, former Penang chief minister Koh Tsu Koon has washed his hands off the Kampung Buah Pala crisis, saying he would not interfere to avoid getting blamed.

Nusmetro Ventures: The Balik Pulau connection

Accountability, Housing, Malaysian finance/business 19 Responses »

Jul 052009

Who exactly owns Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, the developer of the Oasis luxury condominium project?

According to the latest records for the developer filed with the Companies Commission of Malaysia, Asia Link-up Sdn Bhd holds 96 per cent of the RM250,000 issued share capital of Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd.

That makes Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd almost a wholly owned subsidiary of Asia Link-up.

But who owns Asia Link-up then? It’s now time to lift its corporate veil as well.

According to the Companies Commmission, Asia Link-up documents registered as at 24 April 2009 show that Mohamad Faridz Karim of Balik Pulau owns 80 per cent of the company’s RM500,000 issued share capital. Faridz has also been director of Asia Link-up since October 2004 and director of its subsidiary, Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, since April 2005.

The sad tale of High Chaparral

Accountability, Housing, Marginalised groups 45 Responses »

Jul 042009

The old well at Kampung Buah Pala where clear fresh water reaches ground level - Photo by Anil Netto

For those of you still unfamiliar with the background to the High Chaparral issue, here’s an excellent write-up by Himanshu Bhatt in today’s Sun:

Kampung Buah Pala holds its breath

THERE is an old well said to have been dug some 100 years ago in Penang’s Kampung Buah Pala, a charming settlement of cowherds and planters, which still provides fresh groundwater for many villagers. So remarkable is this well that during the national water crisis of the late 1990s, it became the lifeline for thousands of Penangites who made a bee-line to collect its water when all other supplies failed.

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