Will land reclamation affect fisheries?

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Under the Penang Structure Plan (2005-2010), major land reclamation has been slated for Penang. But how will this affect water quality and fisheries in the state?
View Larger Map Under the Plan, the following projects are slated as part of reclamation in Penang (as highlighted in a 2007 presentation by JPS):
  • artificial islands in Tanjong Tokong
  • Gurney Drive reclamation
  • an artificial island in the Middle Bank (which is an eco-sensitive fisheries area)
  • the area north and south of the Penang Bridge
  • the extension of the North Butterworth Container Terminal to Teluk Air Tawar (long stretch, that)
  • the Penang Airport expansion
Now, some of these ambitious plans were obviously planned with the controversial Penang Outer Ring Road in mind. Of late, though, talk has re-surfaced about land reclamation involving the Middle Bank, between Queensbay and the Light project.
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Polls for Penang municipal councillors

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Interested in public service? Want to become a Penang Island or Seberang Perai municipal councillor? Want to participate in the voting process? It’s still not too late. LATEST! MPPP – Six candidates have applied to become councillors. Three more are seriously considering. MPSP – A single candidate has applied. Two more are considering. Extension of application dates We are extending the closing date for candidate applications to 10 November 2010. Application forms are available here.
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Sarawak’s most peculiar ‘drought’

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Listen to the Sarawak government’s spin on the reasons for the drop in the water level of the Rajang River. If you believe what they are telling you, the main cause is a dry spell, El Nino, or even climate change. Repeat after me, it’s not mainly due to the impoundment of the Dam, dummy. (See Borneo Post here.) Dry spell? From what I hear, it has been raining bucket loads in some parts of Sarawak. The Post concedes: “There has been rain on some days in Central Sarawak but that has not been sufficient enough to raise the river water level.” Oh, maybe the rain just avoided the Rajang River and catchment areas. Or maybe the downpour is not enough to raise the water level. Things must be serious then, if rain cannot raise the river water level.
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Butterworth: Muddy waters choke fish

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Muddy waters at Pantai Bersih, along the northern coast of Butterworth, have been causing concern among fisher folk. It is not clear what is polluting these waters – not far from ports on the mainland and the island. On a related note, Pantai Bersih is anything but – in fact, it is a haphazard eyesore of illegal and legal buildings right up to the coast line. Pity the poor residents of Butterworth as this  small stretch, as well as the Robena Park area, is their only recreational space after the Butterworth Outer Ring Road cut off access to the beach along most of the coast line. These reports from theSun.
Sea of mud by Himanshu Bhatt Polluted waters off Butterworth killing marine life, say fishermen Abdullah compares the muddy sea water to clear water. SEBERANG PERAI (Oct 24, 2010) : The seas off Butterworth are being affected by a mysterious mud-like deluge that is killing fish and other marine life along a 5km stretch of shoreline.
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Time to let your hair down

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As we enter by-election mode, how about some light relief…

Live – Galas, Batu Sapi nomination day

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Bringing you live updates of nomination day for the Galas and Batu Sapi by-elections.

Central govt debt balloons to RM388bn

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By the end of 2009, total federal government debt had soared to RM362 billion – a leap of RM56 billion from the previous year. Much of this was due to soaring domestic debt, which reached RM349 billion or 96 per cent of the total federal government debt, according to the national audit report for 2009. Total federal government debt to GDP ratio rose to 53.7 per cent – exceeding 50 per cent for the first time in recent years. Bank Negara reports that central government debt (total current liabilities) reached RM378 billion in the first quarter of 2010 and RM388 billion in the second quarter.
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MCMC interrogates Wong Choon Mei

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1335: The MCMC concludes its questioning of Wong after over two hours. “They wanted to know about the article on Najib’s speech and who’s behind Malaysian Chronicle,” says her lawyer Latheefa. 1151: The MCMC is now interrogating Wong Choon Mei of the Malaysian Chronicle news portal. Two officers have been questioning her at the MCMC office in Cyberjaya since 11.00am. Her lawyer, Latheefa Koya, says she was refused permission to sit with Wong in her capacity as lawyer. She is now watching from outside.
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Colonial memo on pre-Merdeka talks

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The UK National Archives has put on public display a memorandum dated 21 February 1956 by the UK ‘Secretary of State for the Colonies’ on the ‘Conference of the Constitutional Advance of Malaya’. From the memo, you can sense the colonial anxiety that Malaya should continue to be open to and protect ‘overseas investments’ and defend the ‘Sterling Area’, which partly depended on rubber and tin for its resilience. That was probably linked to the imperative of protecting British economic interests in Malaya in the face of the rising tide of nationalism and struggle for economic sovereignty around the world. After all, the colonialists were heavily involved in the extraction of resources, especially rubber and tin, in Malaya.
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Bridge Express Shuttle Transit (Best)

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Rapid Penang is working together with the Penang state government to implement its proposal for a shuttle bus service across the Penang Bridge from the mainland to the island during peak hours. If the connections are done right with seamless ticketing, the plan could be a major boost for public transport in Penang and usher in a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system for the state. It would also be a fine example of federal-state cooperation – though I maintain that Rapid Penang, like all other transport modes in the state, should eventually come under the state government’s purview (in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity that local affairs are best planned and implemented locally).
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End the Occupation: Mid-East bishops

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Middle East Catholic bishops meeting at a special synod in Rome over the last fortnight have called for Israel to end the Occupation of Palestinian territories so that a two-state solution can be found. The bishops are the ones who are familiar with the situation on the ground. Here is an excerpt from their final joint communique:
IV. Cooperation and Dialogue with Our Fellow-Citizens, the Jews 8. The same Scriptures unite us; the Old Testament, the Word of God is for both you and us. We believe all that God revealed there, since he called Abraham, our common father in the faith, Father of Jews, of Christians and of Muslims. We believe in the promises of God and his covenant given to Abraham and to you. We believe that the Word of God is eternal.
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-10-24

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Now here come the smelters…

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Smelters are set to sprout in Sarawak to guzzle the energy that is expected to be produced by Bakun Dam, now that the government appears to have given up on the submarine cables. This is the situation at the moment: Press Metal Sarawak Sdn Bhd-Sumitomo Corp Current capacity – 60,000 tonnes. First phase – 120,000 tonnes. Second phase – 240,000 tonnes. Salco: Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS)-Rio Tinto Alcan Planned capacity – 720,000 tonnes. This would make it one of the largest in the world. GIIG Holdings Sdn Bhd-Aluminium Corp of China Ltd (Chalco) Planned capacity – 330,000 tonnes.
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No-tower Facebook page: 116,000 ‘likes’

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More than 116,000 folks have already “liked” the 1M Malaysians Reject 100-storey Mega Tower Facebook page. And the number opposing the RM5 billion 100-storey tower is rising by the minute. Have a look here.
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NUJ president calls for press freedom

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How times have changed. It was not so long ago that the National Union of Journalists seemed mainly concerned about collective bargaining to secure the best terms of employment for its members. Now, the new NUJ president, Hata Wahari, has joined civil society in articulating the call for greater press freedom.
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Rajang River silap mata

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The recent logjam on the Rajang River was a natural disaster caused by heavy downpour and not by over-logging or impoundment of the Bakun Dam – so says an initial report by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation.
This photo taken on Wed morning at 8 am ... a general view of Kapit water front ... the Kapit/Sibu jetty at far end - Photo credit: Borneo Post.
The edge of the river, which had about 2m of water (inset) is now little more than a muddy bank - Photo credit: The Star.
Sarawak Forestry CEO Len Talif Salleh was reported by Bernama as saying that a ‘3D Airborne Hyperspectral Sensor’ taken on 15 October showed that the area was still covered by forest but traces of landslides could be seen due to heavy downpour at the Ulu Sungai Melatai catchment area. “We want to clarify the misconception and nonsense from an overseas source that the logjam was caused by over-logging or impoundment of Bakun Dam.” Over-logging was not an issue, he said, because there was no logging activity on both sides of Melatai River since 2006. Some questions and concerns:
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1MDB in two massive projects

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While the controversy over the megalomaniacal 100-storey tower is still swirling, many seem to be unaware of two other massive property development projects in the pipeline.
  • 1MDB is bringing in Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Development Co to jointly develop a RM26 billion financial district on a 36ha plot in Jalan Tun Razak.
  • 1MDB will also partner Qatar Investment Authority in another huge project on the present RMAF Sungai Besi land.
Three questions come to mind.
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Only 6 ‘baby friendly’ private hospitals?

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The Penang state government may be interested in promoting the state as a centre for meetings and conventions – but the state already has a reputation for being a hub for civil society activities, not just nationally but globally as well. Over the weekend, two global forums were held – the Friends of the Earth International Asia Pacific forum “Ecological equity: Sharing the stories, reclaiming our rights” and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action’s Global Breastfeeding Partners Forum. I dropped by to find out what was being said at each forum. At Waba’s forum, delegates were pleased to hear that the maternity leave for Malaysian civil servants would be extended to 90 days (which is 12 weeks, still well short of the ILO target of 40 weeks.) And what about private sector employees? Still 60 days? Shouldn’t the 90-day maternity leave be included in our labour laws?
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Press freedom: How low can we go?

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If you thought Malaysia’s press freedom ranking was already bad, think again. Singapore has surpassed Malaysia in the latest RSF global ranking for 2010. Singapore! Now Singapore may have made great strides in terms of material progress but press freedom is not exactly its forte. Singapore is now ranked 136th (133rd in 2009) – ahead of Malaysia’s 141st (131st in 2009). That’s about the same as our football Fifa ranking of 144th place!  What else do you expect when even a cartoonist can be arrested? The ‘democratic’ nation of Brunei, at 142nd, is now breathing down our necks. 
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Next up: Penang Housing Board Bill

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Can we look forward to more affordable housing in Penang? The Penang Chief Minister has announced a Penang Housing Board Bill – “next State Assembly by Housing Exco Wong Hon Wai,” tweeted Kit Siang last night.
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