The late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu will be remembered as a leader who left his imprint on Penang during a time of turbulence and ferment in Malaysia’s post-independence years.
His experiment with multi-ethnic politics with Gerakan – in its initial years at least – fired the imagination of many Penangites and other Malaysians.
His economic policy of promoting export-oriented, foreign investor-driven development – the standard World Bank model in support of MNCs – gave birth to the electronics industry and the Free Trade Zone in Penang. It compensated somewhat for the loss of Penang’s duty-free status.
Philippine President Aquino has declared his assets showing that he is worth RM3.6 million (50 million pesos). Now when will we get to know how much the Malaysian Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers are worth? Transparency anyone?
Aquino submitted his ‘Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth’ to the Ombudsman’s office soon after he assumed office. Notice, it is not a statement of income but of assets.
In contrast, his predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo started her term of office with a net worth of RM4.8 million. By the time she stepped down from office, her wealth had soared to RM10.2 million.
I don’t know about you, but I got that sinking feeling when I heard that Penang Port could be privatised.
At present, Penang Port comes under the federal Finance Ministry. The government reportedly has already spent RM1 billion over the last five years to upgrade Penang Port.
Now the news is that Malaysia’s seventh richest man, Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, could take over the port, as reported in the Singapore Business Times. Just how many ports do they want him to take over? His MMC already controls Port of Tanjung Pelepas and the Johor Port in Pasir Gudang.
The opposition in Sarawak have accused the state government of tampering with the state assembly’s Hansard, the recording of the Dewan’s proceedings.
See Free Malaysia Reporthere.
An independent source told me the episode is accurate as he was unable to download the fourth day’s proceedings. “The fourth day proceedings were mainly opposition speeches. It has not been uploaded. If Parliament can upload opposition speeches in Hansard, why not Sarawak? Or is the Sarawak Chief Minister beyond reproach?”
Something is happening at the Subang Ria Recreational Park and it doesn’t sound good. Although the state government had agreed that all 73 acres will be maintained as a green lung, it appears that 19 acres could now be allowed for commercial use.Sunrise over Subang Ria Park - Photo credit: subangdailyphoto.blogspot.com View Larger Map
Why can’t they learn from the 350-acre Hyde Park and the 275-acre Kensington Garden (both combined, larger than the size of Monaco and lying right smack in the middle of London), which are virtually untouchable? But then some of our developers are greedy and think nothing of depriving present and future generations of precious green spaces. All they can think of is $$$
The leak in Parliament – yet again – is an act of God, says Nazri, pointing out that the building is old. Actually it just reflects the lack of a culture of maintenance or plain incompetence.
Go ask the JKR, Nazri says, after being repeatedly questioned by journalists. Part of the problem, he said, is that the building was not designed for air-conditioning.
After getting a close look at the ‘pro-ISA protesters’ in Penang, we are now privileged to be able to closely study the ‘disgruntled PKR members’ bussed in to ‘protest’ outside the PKR headquarters on 21 November 2010.
I don’t know about you, but to me, many of them look utterly bored or not paying attention to the speech, only chanting and raising their hands on cue.
Sarawak Deputy Tourism Minister James Dawos Mamit has admitted that the impoundment of the Bakun Dam had adversely affected the livelihood of the people downstream and the tourism industry.
“Because of the shallowness of the river, some of them lose their jobs as tourist guides and have to chop firewood for a living because there are no more tourists coming after the water level has dropped,” the Borneo Post quoted him as saying. Ironically Dawos is the former environment adviser for the Bakun Dam project.
The authorities must now release the Environmental Impact Assessment report. Let’s have a look at the conditions of approval.
A prominent academician has expressed concern about the decline in the study of the Humanities and the rising ‘technologisation’ of everyday life.
We are undergoing transformation at the hand of the technological imperatives such as Rationalisation, Universalism, Monism, observed Dato Dr Sharom Ahmat, the chairman of the Socio-Economic & Environmental Research Institute in Penang. “We live increasingly in a world of Technology, not a world of Nature. Technological values have eroded Human Values instead of ‘humanising’ them.”
Sharom, who happens to be the father of law lecturer and popular columnist Azmi Sharom, was delivering the keynote address at the opening dinner in Penang on Saturday of the regional workshop for the ninth batch of 23 Asian Public Intellectual Fellows from around the region who had just completed their fellowship programme. The theme of the workshop was ‘Towards transforming society and empowering people’ with panel discussions on the poor, the marginalised, sustainable development, relationship with Nature and cultural ideas.
A small group of about 50 pro-ISA protesters tried to disrupt an anti-ISA forum at Komtar Walk in Penang today.
That’s bad. No, pathetic. Who is really behind them? And what’s the point of the protest? They are not going to convince anyone – unless their aim is to stifle freedom of expression.
The protesters should be free to hold their own event anywhere else – Speakers’ Square, perhaps? Why stop others from speaking out against the ISA?
Sarawak’s Land Development Minister James Masing has been surprisingly interviewed by Radio Free Sarawak, a new and mysterious station that has emerged.
In the interview, Masing, a senior figure in the BN state government led by Taib Mahmud, says again that the recent log-jam along the Rajang River was a man-made disaster. He points out that the timber companies and the relevant government departments (for their lack of enforcement) are to blame.
British American Tobacco (Malaysia) and Japan Tobacco International Bhd in KL have both cited a report that suggests four out of 10 packs of cigarettes are illicit.
In a press releases dated 20 October and 11 November 2010 respectively, the two cigarette firms cited an Illicit Cigarettes Study, commissioned by the Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers, which revealed that the incidence of illicit cigarettes rose to 39.7 per cent during March-May 2010.
The Church needs to do something fast to resolve the issue of the settlers near the St Francis Xavier Church along Penang Road with fairness and compassion.
The controversy, involving the settler-descendants of church workers and their families, should be of pastoral concern to the church. Resorting to church lawyers instead of persevering with face-to-face discussions and negotiations to deal with the settlers suggests that something is not quite right.
When I wrote about the issue last year I received some flak (directly and through the grape vine) from certain quarters within the church, the thrust of which was that I did not know the real background to the issue from the church’s perspective etc etc (although I had spoken at length with the residents). I was duly briefed on what the church thought of the residents.
Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister George Chan says Sarawakians should reject all candidates standing under the ticket of Semenanjung-based opposition parties.
He claimed they would only listen to their political masters from Semenanjung Malaysia and forget about the interests of Sarawak people and their well-being, according to a Borneo Post report.
“At least all the state BN components are truly Sarawak parties. We have been and shall continue to defend and protect the rights, interests and well-being of all the people here.
Did you know that Apco was created in 1984 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Washington, DC-based law firm of Arnold & Porter?
Now, it has been reported, Apco played a behind-the-scenes role in the debate over universal health care vs private health care/private health insurance in the United States.
When award-winning film-maker Michael Moore came out with the acclaimed documentary Sicko advocating universal health care for all, the health insurance industry in the United States panicked.
A mystery illness has reportedly struck native families living in Rumah Bansan longhouse at Sungai Bedengan near an aluminium smelting plant in Mukah.
The public needs iron-clad guarantees from the Sarawak government – certified by truly independent health and environmental safety engineers/inspectors – that there is no link between the aluminium plant, which is 300 metres away, and longhouse illnesses since September 2009. Failing which, the state government, which has very little credibility, can hardly be believed.
From Free Malaysia Today:
Explaining the ‘mysterious illness’, Tuai Rumah (longhouse chief) Bansan said the community has been “experiencing all sorts of health problems such as breathing diffuculties, coughing and skin diseases” since the construction of the smelting plant.
While our public hospitals groan under the weight of so many patients, many Malaysian medical personnel, including specialists, prefer to work in public hospitals abroad.
Blog reader SH files in this report from Down Under:
Hey, 100% true story below. Happened in Melbourne, Australia.
10 Nov 2010
1. Arrived early at hospital, so decided to walk down the street to check out an expensive shop by famous Melbourne-based designer. Was pleasantly (but sadly) surprised to learn the ‘local designer’ was a Malaysian whose entire family migrated from Malaysia!
2. Went back to hospital. Was registered by a loud receptionist who was Malaysian whose family migrated from Malaysia!
Sungai Pinang, only a few years ago regarded among the seven most polluted rivers in the country, has improved in water quality from Class Five to Class Three (moderate contamination).
The improvement came after the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) and IWK spent RM120,000 to fix a water discharge system at an abattoir along River Road and channel the waste water to the IWK treatment plant in Jelutong.
Well done, MPPP and DID; that’s the way to go. (One question: who absorbs the RM120,000 cost? The abattoir, MPPP or IWK?)
Some of our underfunded general hospitals appear to be overstretched as staff struggle to cope with the large number of outpatients. And to think they want to build a 100-storey tower while others want to promote ‘medical tourism’. Waiting to pop your card in the box at the counter, and then waiting to get a waiting number(!) and then waiting to be called to see a medical officerWaiting for a waiting number!Finally waiting to see a doctor - notice the crutches and the wheelchairs
I happened to be at the orthopaedic outpatient treatment section at the Seberang Jaya General Hospital this morning and this was the scene that greeted me. Young and old, of all ethnic groups – people in wheelchairs, others in arm slings and still others holding crutches – they are accustomed to waiting and waiting and waiting to be called.
Welcome to updates from the Penang local council elections to determine civil society nominees to serve as MPPP and MPSP councillors for 2011. It is the first step in the journey towards the full restoration of local government elections. Penang residents packed the hall for the Penang Forum 3 today
