PKR is preparing for its party elections which, for the first time, will see ordinary members directly voting for top leadership posts in the party.
But what has been Anwar’s role be in all this, given that he is torn between his court case, party matters and never-ending campaigning? Is the party prepared for the outcome of the trial? I wrote this piece for Asia Times:
Photo courtesy of WikipediaAs Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy case meanders its way through the courts, the spotlight has shifted to how his party is preparing for the possible outcome.
A guilty verdict in the high-stakes case would be a significant blow his opposition People’s Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat), which hopes to capitalize on significant gains it made against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition at the last general election in 2008.
Another case of land being transferred at what seems to be an undervalued price.
This legal suit regarding a land deal was reported in theSun.
The YBPP was set up to improve the economic lot of the Malays in Penang, but read below to find out what’s happened. Thanks to blog reader Tan, Tanjung Bunga for the alert.
Suit against agency over transfer of land
By: Himanshu Bhatt (Tue, 07 Sep 2010)
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN (Sept 7, 2010): Two Malay non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and 33 individuals have filed a suit against Yayasan Bumiputra Pulau Pinang (YBPP), an Umno-linked agency, after it allegedly transferred 280ha of land reserved for bumiputras to a development company with a non-Malay majority shareholder.
Was hyped-up talk last year of a monorail test track in Batu Kawan little more than hot air?
Nothing seems to have moved since then – which is probably just as well. What was all that about then?
Penang monorail test track not materialising just yet
Written by Regina William
Monday, 06 September 2010 11:30
GEORGE TOWN: It is likely plans for the monorail test track which had been slated for construction in Batu Kawan will not materialise anytime soon.
It is learnt the Penang Development Corporation (PDC), which had received a proposal from one company sometime last year for land to construct the test track, has referred the matter to the state government.
Utusan has been very much in the news for its sensationalist and racially tinged reporting. Less well known is the fact that the paper’s circulation has been sliding over the last four years.
According to Audit Bureau of Circulation (figures for West Malaysia publications for the period ending 31 December 2009), Utusan Malaysia’s daily circulation has dropped 21 per cent from 213,445 in 2006 to 169,548 in 2009. The group revenue of Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd fell correspondingly from RM384m in 2006 to RM349m in 2009, according to Utusan’s Annual Report for 2009. This had an impact on its bottom line as well, as profit before tax plunged from RM21m to RM7m in the last four years. The firm’s performance was saved by sister publication Kosmo!’s steady rise in circulation from 100,798 in 2007 to 172,253 in 2009.
Some 300 people packed a hall in Penang this afternoon for a Malaysians for Beng Hock forum organised by civil society groups.
Nora Murat, executive director of Amnesty International Malaysia, challenged the government to declare Malaysia a torture-free nation – Photo by Anil
Aliran president P Ramakrishnan called for the Beng Hock inquest to be disbanded and replaced with a royal commission of inquiry.
Anti-war protesters gave former British premier Tony Blair a torrid reception when he turned up to sign copies of his autobiography at a book-store in Dublin.
One activist, Kate O’Sullivan, who managed to enter the book-store, tried to make a citizen’s arrest on Blair for war crimes in Iraq. Here is her account:
The global financial crisis? We were set up by insiders, this revealing documentary proposes.
“You were robbed. There was a bank robbery. And the bank robbery wasn’t done by someone who came in with a gun, it was the bank president.” – Oscar-nominated filmmaker Charles Ferguson
Check out the background to the film on Indiewire here.
Have a look at one Malaysian firm’s role at the epi-centre of the crisis on Sarawak Report here.
… why not Penang and the rest of Malaysia? We don’t need incinerators and more land-fills, just a well thought out recycling, composting and waste reduction policy.
Thanks to sinyc for the heads-up on this GreenBiz article:
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Recycling and composting helped the city of San Francisco divert 77 percent of its garbage from landfills in 2008, which it hailed as a national record and the highest of any city in the U.S.
Khazanah wants to sell its 32.21 per cent stake in Pos Malaysia – soon after postal tariffs were substantially hiked. What’s the rationale?
Why raise tariffs so much from 1 July and then sell its stake? Shouldn’t the profit from the higher tariffs remain in government hands instead of transferring the immediate benefit to private hands or other entities?
It’s not as if the postal company is losing money. Not by a long shot. Despite all its inefficiencies, Pos Malaysia posted a profit before tax of RRM109 million for the year ended 31 December 2009 – up from a loss before tax of RM0.5 million the previous year.
Many Malaysians have expressed disappointment over the BBC’s backing down from a ‘HARDtalk’ interview with RPK.
Much of this sentiment, I believe, stems from a perception that the BBC is a bastion of impartial, independent reporting.
Far from it. The BBC reflects the establishment viewpoint in the UK. Its positions on the illegal invasion of Iraq, the US-UK role in Afghanistan and the Israeli occupation of Palestine are well documented.
The MIC appears to have slid out of the picture after its poor showing in 2008 as Prime Minister Najib reaches out directly to Indian Malaysians in a series of events. Giant cut-out of Najib at Batu Caves - Photo courtesy of Mkini
30 Jan – Najib visits Batu Caves on Thaipusam eve. He becomes only the second PM to visit the site after his father. But a giant replica of him at the venue becomes an issue – as did the refusal to allow the Selangor MB to speak at the same venue.
23 April – Najib officiates at the 1Malaysia Vaisakhi Open House at the Indera Mulia Stadium in Ipoh. He announces an allocation of RM4 million to assist in “strengthening cultural aspects, language teaching and repair and maintenance of Sikh houses of worship across the country”. See Berita Harian report here. “You help me…”?
12 June – Najib launches SMC2010, endorsed by the Sri Murugan Centre, and reportedly offers “more scholarships and direct financial aid for Tamil schools under the 10th Malaysian Plan”. See Malaysian Insider report here.
If you are finding it difficult to forgive someone, then this tale of reconciliation might be helpful.
Richard Moore has forgiven a British soldier who fired a rubber bullet and blinded him when he was just a child aged 10 in Northern Ireland. Now, they are friends.
Selected highlights from the Teoh Beng Hock inquest featuring DPP Razak sparring with Pornthip. (Notice the lawyer at the bottom left with his hand on his forehead!)
Happy Merdeka, folks! It’s time once more to reflect on the state of our nation and where we are at the moment.
We have much to be thankful for. Despite the best attempts of certain quarters to divide us on the basis of race and religion, Malaysians by and large haven’t fallen for the bait. We have grown into maturity and can now see through such diabolical tactics.
A two-day trip to Malacca proves to be an eye-opener. And a cruise along the Malacca River after dark reveals more than just the gaudy lights of the illuminated river banks.
When I arrived in Malacca last weekend for a two-day stay, residents there told me quite a bit about the city and its questionable spending on various projects. Mostly they centred on and around various modes of transport:
Here’s a good reason for moving to public transport: we are not going to significantly reduce traffic congestion anytime soon by using improved traffic modelling and management methods.
Traffic snarl in Sao Paulo - Image via Wikipedia
Building new roads is not the solution either. The Wall Street online quotes Martin Wachs, director of RAND Corp’s transportation, space, and technology programme, as saying that new roads lead to more travel (traffic) due to an effect known as ‘triple convergence’: if new roads are built, many drivers who had shifted their trips 1) to off-peak hours, or 2) to different roads, or 3) to public transport, would resume their previous pattern and converge onto the new highway. See Wall Street article here.
Global food prices are projected to rise in future as a result of changing weather patterns, water scarcity, higher oil prices and increased demand from emerging markets like China and India.
Agricultural research station, Thailand
As if that’s not enough, financial speculators are turning their attention to agricultural commodities and gambling on food products. See the Spiegel article here and the Green World Investor blog here.
We were warned in 2008 of a global food crisis. But have we learned any lessons? Are we doing enough to promote food security and sustainability in Malaysia (other than corporate agriculture)?
While we are obsessed with FDI, are we doing enough to chart out a sustainable – and the key word is sustainable or organic – agriculture blueprint that would meet the needs of our people in the future?
Alarm bells have started ringing after it was found that children under five in Australia who had been given seasonal flu jabs suffered from fits at a rate that was ten times higher than normal.
Doctors have been alerted to use alternatives. Adults were not affected.
Up to one in 100 children given the jab, made in Australia by CSL and marketed in the UK by Pfizer, suffered febrile convulsions in the following hours and days, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Nora Murat, executive director of Amnesty International Malaysia, challenged the government to declare Malaysia a torture-free nation – Photo by Anil
Aliran president P Ramakrishnan called for the Beng Hock inquest to be disbanded and replaced with a royal commission of inquiry. 
Happy Merdeka, folks! It’s time once more to reflect on the state of our nation and where we are at the moment.
We have much to be thankful for. Despite the best attempts of certain quarters to divide us on the basis of race and religion, Malaysians by and large haven’t fallen for the bait. We have grown into maturity and can now see through such diabolical tactics. 
