First it was the Penang state government’s ‘Penang Blueprint’ for development in the state from 2011 to 2015. That was then set aside as the state government cooperated with the federal government to come up with the Greater Penang Transformation Plan.
The damage at the Protestant Cemetery was due to lack of supervision of landscaping workers tasked by the MPPP to prune and remove trees that were affecting the old tombstones.
A small group is holding a vigil at Dataran Merdeka to call for the release of Ahmad Abd Jalil, who has been remanded for three days until tomorrow on a fresh charge under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Act.
Live discussion of the implications of the US presidential elections. Ordinary Americans now have to build movements to put climate change, sustainable development, universal healthcare and workers’ rights at the top of the agenda.
Don’t mess with trade union and workers’ rights, public education and other core public services. That’s the message groups in the US are seeing from the victory of Barack Obama in the US presidential election today.
This is a report on the protest in Ohio in February against plans to curb public sector workers’ rights in the state governed by a Republican governor.
The last prominent Malaysian minister to announce his/her resignation was Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. That may have been unusual in the Malaysian context but hey, it happens in other countries as a matter of course.
Update: So with this in mind, the Malaysian government wants to send a second ankasawan on a junket to space (which would cost hundreds of millions of ringgit) – if funds permit. Well, do you think the state of our funds will ‘permit’ this?Malaysian government debt has been steadily rising in recent years and is expected to touch RM502bn this year or 53.7 percent of GDP on the back of a rapid rise in issues of quasi-government bonds and securities. (The legal threshhold is 55 percent.) But this does not include sizeable contingent liabilities or off-balance sheet items.
Click to enlarge the following general government gross debt data from the International Monetary Fund:
The Penang government has begun a review of the Penang Structure Plan 2020 five years after it was gazetted in 2007. But what is happening to the draft Local Plan?
This is the other lily pond at the Penang Botanic Garden and it shows what the Garden could be like if it is designed properly. Click on photo to enlarge
Superstorm Sandy that is slamming the United States is a warning about the perils of climate change. It is time to wake up and think more seriously about how our unsustainable economic model is worsening climate change and leading to rising sea levels.
By now you may be aware of the peaceful blockade by the Penans along the road to the Murum Dam site in Sarawak – despite a virtual blackout in the mainstream media. The Penan blockade – Photograph: Scane
Update: A journalist informs me that the setbacks for a few established housing areas (kawasan perumahan tetap sedia ada) and areas with 87 units/acre will have their setbacks increased to 20 metres (66 feet). This may cover only a small number of projects and have the effect of limiting high-density projects in exclusive areas like Jesselton. But what about other places and other high density projects (say 30-87 units/acre)? I do hope the State Planning Committee will clarify.
If you are reluctant to give up driving because of the poor public transport in the country, then you might be interested to know that a Working Group on Public Transportation in Malaysia has been formed.
The Penang Forum Steering Committee has responded to the issue of high density development i.e. the tripling of density permitted from 30 acres to 87 units/acre.
Click on photo to enlarge 
Click on photo to enlarge 