Nor Mohamed Yakcop’s political secretary Hasbie Satar resigned last night, according to a statement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department today.
The statement did not give a reason for Hasbie’s resignation.
But the Malaysian Mirror reported that Hasbie, a Sarawakian, was believed to be the political secretary to a senior minister who was detained during an MACC raid last Thursday on an apartment in Teluk Air Tawar in Butterworth. It added that the fourth-floor apartment was thought to have been “rented by the minister’s election team weeks before the 8 March 2008 general election and later used as a transit-home for the minister’s staff”. The portal said that it was learnt that two of the minister’s service staff were present in the apartment during the raid.
The political secretary was detained after MACC officers found RM2 million in cash, a 4WD and a BMW at the apartment. Bank accounts have now been frozen.
Teluk Air Tawar is one of three Penang state assembly constiutuencies that lie within the federal parliamentary constituency of Tasek Gelugor, which is held by Nor Mohamed.
A blog reader has found a couple more helpful videos on how to fix submarine technical problems.
To solve plumbing problems, call Roto Rooter, the plumbers.
If your submarine doesn’t dive, you may want to consider calling in Dr Ernest Otherford, Kitchen Scientist, to understand what makes the vessel go up and down:
This Lunar New Year, remember Aung San Suu Kyi, still imprisoned by the military dictators of Burma.
I received this meaningful new year greeting from a colleague and I thought I would share it with you.
May the year of the Tiger bring you MORE
– freedom from fear
– appreciation of our multi-racial society
– unity in our diversity and in times of adversity
– peace of mind in our struggles against injustice
– solidarity with the poor and oppressed
A submarine that won’t dive? I guess that’s the cue for a submarine joke.
But then when you think of all that money spent, you probably won’t be laughing.
Updated: It turns out that Tee Beng’s “report” was actually a statement to defend himself over allegations by Ramasamy and Jeff Ooi that he had asked the state to give his uncle preference over a PDC shoplot. He had earlier challenged the two to show up as well.
1620: Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng is now lodging a report with the Penang MACC. It’s not known as yet what the report is about. Journalists at the MACC office have been asked to leave the building.
It’s turning out to be another eventful day. Reflecting on the events of the last few days, a journalist at the scene observes, “This whole thing is a manufactured controversy.”
So Bayan Baru MP Zahrain has quit PKR. All I can say it’s no sad loss for the party – and instead it’s a blessing in disguise for Pakatan.
Quite a few Penangites are familiar with Zahrain and his Penang Port background, apart from the current controversy surrounding the golf club tender.
How did he get selected as an election candidate in the first place? Pity the voters of Bayan Baru who opted for change.
According to a well-placed PKR source, Zahrain, who is (was?) an old friend of Anwar’s, was likely to face punishment – probably suspension or the sack – by the PKR disciplinary committee, which was due to deliver its decision next week. And he would have seen the writing on the wall. “We are not afraid of losing people who do not share our vision or principles,” said the source.
I asked an environmental specialist about the beach erosion in northern Penang Island, and this is what he had to say:
A groyne in the UK; Butterworth used to have similar groynes at the beach fronting the RMAF base – Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Various modelling studies were done during the construction of the Penang Bridge, land reclamation of Batu Maung and Bayan Baru and the North Butterworth Container Terminal to try and predict the likely impact on sediment transport and the likely erosion and sedimentation.
However, when one side is the open sea, such as along the north coast of Penang Island, the volume of water flowing through is not affected by the fixed volume of the straits.
When any structure is constructed, such as land reclamation or the construction of a “groyne” to prevent beach erosion, it will interfere with the natural beach processes.
The magistrate in the long-running arsenic protest case has acquitted the 27 accused after the prosecution failed to produce material witnesses in court.It’s all over! – Photo courtesy of Tian Chua
The prosecutors had failed to produce the seven remaining witnesses including CID director Bakri Zinin in court, according to Tian Chua, one of those acquitted.
In an incomprehensible move, the public green space in front of the Dewan Sri Pinang has been fenced up.
I had blogged about this before here but today, I found the following message from a concerned Penang resident in my mailbox:
This little green lung has a history. It was designed in the early 1990s and planting was carried out just before the visit of the then Agong. It was meant to be a very green, friendly space for use by visitors, the inner city residents and office workers. It had lots of grass in little undulating mounds and criss-crossing pathways, which had already been etched into the earth from use by folks walking from the Esplanade to the Courthouse and to Green Hall.
Certain beach stretches in Penang are being eroded by changing tidal patterns, attributed to land reclamation work.theSun reports:
Hotel operators concerned over beach erosion
Himanshu Bhatt and Opalyn Mok
Massive erosion of earth by powerful sea tides has caused this stretch of the beach in Tanjung Bungah to become lower by about a metre and several trees there to be uprooted over the last month. Notice the embankment-like verticle exposure created after the earth there was pulled away into the sea.
GEORGE TOWN (Feb 2, 2010): A series of bizarre tides has eroded a stretch of the Tanjung Bungah beach here, causing its level to be lowered by as much as two metres.
The erosion, which has created gaping embankment-like exposures where large amounts of sand have disappeared, has caused concern among hotel operators and visitors in the area.
Live updates on: 1) the Federal Court verdict on who is the rightful chief minister of Perak and 2) the application in the High Court to recuse the Anwar trial judge.
Few are aware that the Penang Malay Chamber of Commerce (DPMMPP) has had three current office bearers successively appointed to an allotted seat in the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) since 2008.
Ironically, a DPMMPP leader was involved in the racially charged 5 Feb protest over allegedly discriminatory Council enforcement action against Malay hawkers and food-stalls operators on Penang Island.
The Penang government had allotted one seat to the DPMMPP and another to the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the MPPP. For 2008, the DPMMPP rep in the Council was Rizal Faris Mohideen, currently the head of DPMMPP. (Rizal was one of the speakers at the protest on Friday.) His successor as MPPP councillor in March 2009 was Yasir Hafiz Munawar Ali, currently the DPMMPP honorary assistant secretary. The present rep in the Council is Ali Akhbar Mohd Noor, a businessman and DPMMPP exco member.
Here’s a refreshing antidote to the racial and religious controversies of late: the ‘Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia’ roadshow reached Ipoh on Saturday.
Photos by Jong
Over a hundred Perakians turned up to listen to speakers such as Azmi Sharom and Haris Ibrahim who peppered their talks with humour.
The Sarawak state government has found fault with two landmark High Court judgments that upheld native rights towards their customary land – and says it will appeal.Borneo Post report on 4 Feb 2010
In both cases – Agi Ak Bungkong & Others v Ladang Sawit Bintulu Sdn Bhd and Mohd Rambli Kawi v Superintendent of Lands & Surveys Kuching Division and Another – Justice Datuk David Wong had ruled on 21 January that the respective communities had proven that they have native customary rights over the disputed land. He awarded them damages and costs.
The Sarawak state government’s decision to appeal was not unexpected. But what raised eye-brows was the language the government used in a press statement announcing its decision.
And so the Anwar trial continues – while over in Penang, demonstrators protest at what they perceive to be selective enforcement action against illegal Malay hawkers and food-stall operators, an allegation the local government denies.
Lutheran pastor Sivin Kit is interviewed about the recent Allah controversy, the attacks on religious sites and what ordinary people are doing to improve inter-religious relations.
The Anwar trial continues with testimony by key prosecution witness Saiful Bukhari in camera, a visit to a condo and the screening of a video clip in court.
A groyne in the UK; Butterworth used to have similar groynes at the beach fronting the RMAF base – Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
It’s all over! – Photo courtesy of Tian Chua
The prosecutors had failed to produce the seven remaining witnesses including CID director Bakri Zinin in court, according to Tian Chua, one of those acquitted.
Borneo Post report on 4 Feb 2010
In both cases – Agi Ak Bungkong & Others v Ladang Sawit Bintulu Sdn Bhd and Mohd Rambli Kawi v Superintendent of Lands & Surveys Kuching Division and Another – Justice Datuk David Wong had ruled on 21 January that the respective communities had proven that they have native customary rights over the disputed land. He awarded them damages and costs.
The Sarawak state government’s decision to appeal was not unexpected. But what raised eye-brows was the language the government used in a press statement announcing its decision.