Live – Selangor shows the way, tables FOI Bill
Today is something of an historic day for the country in our quest for a more accountable society.
Watch ‘live’ over ‘TV Selangor’ as the Selangor becomes the first state to table a Freedom of Information Bill for its first reading and debate.
Marginalised Penan surpass CM in search results
The Penan may be one of the most marginalised communities in the country but their plight has received considerable attention, if an internet search is anything to go by.
Like it or not, the Penan are “hot” news: a Google search today throws up 378,000 results.
Like it or not, the Penan are “hot” news: a Google search today throws up 378,000 results. French cops quiz Bala in marathon session
French judicial police and investigators interviewed Bala for more than six hours yesterday, according to Tian Chua.
View Larger Map The interview began at 2.00pm French time (8.00pm Malaysian time) and extended past 5.00pm, well after normal working hours in France, said the parliamentarian, who has been keeping abreast with developments there. Bala was questioned at the National Financial Investigation Division (DNIF) of the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ) along Rue des Trois Fontanots in Nanterre.
View Larger Map The interview began at 2.00pm French time (8.00pm Malaysian time) and extended past 5.00pm, well after normal working hours in France, said the parliamentarian, who has been keeping abreast with developments there. Bala was questioned at the National Financial Investigation Division (DNIF) of the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ) along Rue des Trois Fontanots in Nanterre.
Now, forays into London property market
Certain property players have turned their attention to choice London properties.
And they seemed to have secured access to generous soft loans, in the process.
Shady deals, funding scandals rock France
All is not well in the state of France as some hard questions are being asked of the leadership about kickbacks and other funding scandals.
The BBC has a story: ‘How ‘rotten’ is France’s politics’?
One pending inquiry, involving the sale of submarines to Pakistan in 1994 when Mr Sarkozy was budget minister, may come back to haunt the president. The irony is that the explosion of funding scandals in the past two decades has coincided with unprecedented attempts to clean up France’s political life.
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-11
- No Regrets! 80-year-old Janey Cutler wows them on Britain's Got Talent http://youtu.be/JAwOZvvGsRs #
- "Christians and citizenship" day, Sun, 18 July – Organised by Sungai Way-Subang Methodist Church (SSMC) http://ssmc.com.my/ #
Is steep postal tariff hike justified?
Pos Malaysia has pushed through a hefty tariff hike from 1 July, but is such a sharp rise justified?
The standard mail (up to 20g) tariff has shot up from 30 sen to 60 sen while the rate for letters weighing up to 50g soars from 40 sen to 70 sen.
More and more folks in urban areas now rely on email and social networking tools; so this move will hurt the rural folks and others without internet access the most. Snail mail accounts for 62 per cent of Pos Malaysia’s revenue.
As one outraged reader wrote to The Star:
The new tariff is absolutely ridiculous as the quantum of increase is simply preposterous. Calculations show that the increase in tariff ranges from a low of 20% to a high of 100%. Of all the categories, six of them have increased by between 50% and 70%, while seven others have gone up by over 70%. In fact, three of them are up by 100%.The thing is, does Pos Malaysia really need to raise its tariffs now?
Kampung Buah Pala: A postscript
The project details for the property development at the site of the demolished Kampung Buah Pala have been put on public display.
I am not quite sure how the compensation of double-storey terrace houses for the displaced Kg Buah Pala residents fits into the compensation details shown on the board above. And 53 units?
The board shows that the building plan was approved on 7 December 2006. The double-storey terrace-house offers were made to the residents last year.
The developer Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd’s main contractor is Wabina Construction & Engineering Sdn Bhd.
I am not quite sure how the compensation of double-storey terrace houses for the displaced Kg Buah Pala residents fits into the compensation details shown on the board above. And 53 units?
The board shows that the building plan was approved on 7 December 2006. The double-storey terrace-house offers were made to the residents last year.
The developer Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd’s main contractor is Wabina Construction & Engineering Sdn Bhd. S-E Asia’s oldest monument in Bujang Valley
The oldest building to be recorded in Southeast Asia has been discovered in the Bujang Valley. It is a clay brick ritualistic monument that has been dated back to 110 AD.
Hismanshu Bhatt has the story in theSun:
The Bujang Valley rises at last THE next time you happen to be anywhere near the northern side of Penang or the southwestern stretch of Kedah, turn your gaze northward; you will see in the horizon the silhouette of a large mountain with a sharp peak.
George Town: Power to the pedestrians
I strolled around Market Street, Chulia Street and Jalan Kapitan Keling from 8.00pm and the place was bustling with activity.
Some quick impressions of the George Town World Heritage City Day celebrations:
Entire stretches of roads were closed to vehicles. But people didn’t seem to mind at all. They just soaked in the festive atmosphere along the streets. And they actually looked happier and more relaxed without the traffic around them.
Instead of businesses being affected, cafes, restaurants and shops in Little India and elsewhere were packing in the crowds, and their doors were kept open later later than usual.
White House discloses staff pay; and PM’s Dept?
The White House has released its latest salary list for its employees which adds up to US$39 million per year. Now if the White House can do that in the interest of accountability and transparency, how about the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Department?
See Upshot report here.
And you can find a list of the salaries for each White House employee on the White House website here with an accompany note that reads:
Bujang Valley: Earliest civilisation in S-E Asia
Bujang Valley, one of several Indianised kingdoms in Southeast Asia, existed long before neighbouring empires such as Majapahit (1200 AD) and Sri Vijaya (700 AD).
View Larger Map The early Bujang Valley civilisation between the first and the fifth century (earlier than previously thought) was probably based on animism before coming under Hindu and Buddhist influence from the fifth to the fourteenth century. Now, here’s the strange thing: most Malaysians and visitors know about Malacca and Penang as historical sites, but few have even heard of the Bujang Valley. (Today is actually George Town World Heritage City Day, a holiday in Penang from this year.) In fact, very few residents of Penang and Kedah know about the fascinating archaeological museum amidst reconstructed Hindu and Buddhist temple foundations, discovered in the valley and relocated to the museum grounds, near a gurgling stream on a lush hill-slope in Merbok in Kedah. The museum is worth visiting if you are interested in the Hindu and Buddhist figurines and other artefacts discovered during excavation. Archaeological interest covers sites spanning a thousand square kilometre region from Merbok in the north to Bukit Mertajam on mainland Penang in the south. Gunung Jerai, at 1,200 metres the highest peak in Kedah, was the most visible landmark for sea farers heading to the region. Time to re-write our school history text books, don’t you think?
View Larger Map The early Bujang Valley civilisation between the first and the fifth century (earlier than previously thought) was probably based on animism before coming under Hindu and Buddhist influence from the fifth to the fourteenth century. Now, here’s the strange thing: most Malaysians and visitors know about Malacca and Penang as historical sites, but few have even heard of the Bujang Valley. (Today is actually George Town World Heritage City Day, a holiday in Penang from this year.) In fact, very few residents of Penang and Kedah know about the fascinating archaeological museum amidst reconstructed Hindu and Buddhist temple foundations, discovered in the valley and relocated to the museum grounds, near a gurgling stream on a lush hill-slope in Merbok in Kedah. The museum is worth visiting if you are interested in the Hindu and Buddhist figurines and other artefacts discovered during excavation. Archaeological interest covers sites spanning a thousand square kilometre region from Merbok in the north to Bukit Mertajam on mainland Penang in the south. Gunung Jerai, at 1,200 metres the highest peak in Kedah, was the most visible landmark for sea farers heading to the region. Time to re-write our school history text books, don’t you think?
Cahya Mata Sarawak: Apples of the eye
These are the substantial shareholders of Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd, according to the firm’s 2009 Annual Report.
The analysis as at 22 March 2010:
Substantial Shareholders as per Register of Substantial Shareholders, excluding nominee companies Name of Substantial Shareholders – Direct – Indirect – % of Issued 1. Datin Hanifah Hajar Taib (daughter) (Direct) 705,000 (Indirect) 44,925,102 – 13.85% 2. Datuk Syed Ahmad Alwee Alsree (son-in-law) – (Indirect) 45,630,102 13.85% 3. Majaharta Sdn. Bhd. (family concern) (Direct) 44,925,102 – 13.64% 4. Jamilah Hamidah Taib (daughter) (Indirect) 44,925,102 1 – 13.64% 5. Lejla Taib (late wife) (Direct) 37,000,000 – 11.23% 6. YB Dato Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib (son) (Direct) 29,465,085 – 8.94% 7. Dato Sri Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib (son) (Direct) 29,400,085 – 8.92% 8. Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (Direct) 26,965,360 – 8.19%The closing price on 5 July was RM2.30 per share. You do the maths to find out how much the Taib Mahmud family is worth in CMS shares alone.
World Cup: A lesson in humility
It pays to be humble at all times, even for footballers on the World Cup stage.
After England were trounced 4-1 by Germany, and before the Argentina vs Germany game last night, Argentina’s centreback Martin Demichelis took a dig at England defender John Terry.
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-04
- Check out the programme for the George Town Festival: http://fb.me/DS8aetEC #
- If you attended the Aliran dinner at the PJ Civic Centre on 26 June, let us know what you thought of it. Your name… http://fb.me/CxtsAyD3 #
- Hey, did this really happen? Was it reported anywhere in the Malaysian media? http://fb.me/C4Gt544f #
- How do you think the Malaysian economy is faring right now? Do you feel you are better off or worse off and why? #
Cry of desperation from Long Sebayang
The livelihood of native communities in Limbang, Sarawak, is being threatened by a politically well-connected timber company. It’s really the last stand for Along Sega, a much-respected local Penan leader and the local communities.
The Long Sebayang timber camp in Upper Limbang
View Larger Map Activists and one media report say the company involved in this area is Lee Ling, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Concrete. Among the directors is Raziah @ Rodiah Mahmud, sister of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. She has a 2.03 per cent direct stake in Quality Concrete.
The Long Sebayang timber camp in Upper Limbang
View Larger Map Activists and one media report say the company involved in this area is Lee Ling, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Concrete. Among the directors is Raziah @ Rodiah Mahmud, sister of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. She has a 2.03 per cent direct stake in Quality Concrete.
Bonanza in US property market too
It’s not just Canada that certain property investors are flocking to.
The US property market has received considerable attention as well.
PICC still on the cards
It looks as if the Penang government is still keen on the Penang International Convention Centre (PICC), going by a Bernama report.
The state should think again whether this is really a prudent use of our precious – and limited – financial resources. Even during colonial rule in early 19th-century Penang, the island’s British administrators experienced difficulty in raising funds. Little has changed now, with the BN federal government denying the state its rightful allocations and even by-passing the Penang state government by channelling funds through Finance Ministry-owned entities and parallel federally-overseen state development offices. The way I look at it, the PICC is a luxury (or white elephant) we cannot afford especially when other privately built convention centres are already in the pipeline in Penang. Penang has so many other more pressing needs requiring the use of public funds e.g. the upgrading of public markets and a new computer system for the MPPP.Second Scorpene submarine arrives
A second Scorpene submarine, the KD Tun Razak, has arrived in Malaysian waters.