Speakers’ corner for Penang?
Penang may soon set up the country’s first public speakers’ corner.
(I use the term ‘public’ because a speakers’ corner at the Perdanasiswa Complex in Universiti Malaya has just been re-opened after about 40 years.)
The Penang state government said yesterday that it was thinking of a permanent stage at the Esplanade for candlelight vigils, open forums and demonstrations. It would be at a distance from traffic, said a report in today’s Sun.
“The stage can be used on request by anybody, provided it has not been reserved for other events,” said exco member Chow Kon Yeow, who added that a committee may be set up to liaise with NGOs in this matter.
Now this is a positive development, especially if the state government folks are going to discuss the exact location with civil society and the public – but why do we need a stage? In London, the Speakers’ Corner does not require any prior request or approval for speakers to address whoever is willing to listen. On weekends, anyone can step up on a crate (no stage is needed) and speak to whoever cares to listen. At any one time, there could be around half a dozen different speakers animatedly addressing small crowds at different spots in the area while engaging with or ignoring hecklers. We should not follow the farcical Singapore ‘Speakers’ Corner’.
All the same, the loss of the fine public space in front of Dewan Sri Pinang still saddens me.
Housing rights activist James Aru passes away
The Sentul-based activist James Arunasalam passed away on 22 January.
He championed the cause of the poor – Photo by Tian Chua
He championed the cause of the poor – Photo by Tian Chua
Tian Chua in car crash, escapes unhurt
PKR MP Tian Chua had a narrow escape when his car smashed into the divider of the the North-South Highway during heavy rain early this evening.
The smashed Camry – Photo by Tian Chua
The impact crumpled the front portion of the white Camry, but the MP for Batu escaped unhurt.
The smashed Camry – Photo by Tian Chua
The impact crumpled the front portion of the white Camry, but the MP for Batu escaped unhurt.
Anwar’s ceramah stopped by police
Police put a stop to a ceramah by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim last night in a blow for freedom of expression.
The crowd of about 500 at the PKNS Flats in Kampung Kerinci, Kuala Lumpur expressed their displeasure by chanting “reformasi!”.
S’pore, M’sia fare poorly in ‘quality of life index’
Many Malaysians look up to Singapore for its quality of life.
But have a look at the ‘quality of life index’ compiled by International Living based in Ireland. Singapore has an overall score of only 61, just above Malaysia’s 58. Both are way down the list.
Of course, this ranking isn’t entirely objective as it is based on a combination of data obtained from official sources and editors’ and readers’ perceptions. Moreover, the compilers of the index admit they have a Western bias when it comes to matters such as climate preference.
| Malaysia | |
| Cost of Living | 70 |
| Leisure & Culture | 71 |
| Economy | 48 |
| Environment | 62 |
| Freedom | 50 |
| Health | 68 |
| Infrastructure | 44 |
| Risk & Safety | 86 |
| Climate | 24 |
| Final Score | 58 |
9 pro-democracy students held in Dang Wangi
The nine students arrested in front of Sogo this morning are now being held in Dang Wangi.
The nine were among were among a hundred who had gathered this morning for a rally organised by various student groups reportedly to express concern over campus election procedures.
Latest update from Suaram:
Altogether 9 persons were arrested by police for demanding campus autonomy and freedom of academic on 23 January 2010, between 11.30am and noon in front of Sogo shopping mall. Until 1.45pm, they are in IPD Dang Wangi.
Reflections on the Penang dragon boat tragedy
Still coming to terms with the dragon boat tragedy in Penang.
For a gut-wrenching and descriptive eye-witness account of the scene in the aftermath of the tragedy, go here.
If what she says is true, the authorities and rescue services should seriously look into their response times – especially the helicopter and marine (including divers) search-and-rescue teams. Press photographers (and their editors) too need to be more sensitive in their work. And note that victims’ families do not appreciate onlookers gawking and gossiping…
Thanks to blog reader Iron for alerting me to the findings of a safety inquiry panel in Singapore which looked into another dragon boat tragedy in Cambodia in November 2007. That tragedy left five Singaporeans dead.
Questions re: 1MDB’s RM100 million CSR fund
Whenever I see the word “foundation”, my antenna is inclined to buzz.
On 11 January, Bernama reported that PM Najib had announced the “establishment of Yayasan 1MDB to manage a RM100 million Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Fund“.
The 1MDB Foundation will soon launch “several key initiatives in bridging socio-economic gaps towards fulfilling the aspirational values of 1Malaysia”. Najib would be the chairman of the foundation’s board of trustees.
I have a few questions:
Two suraus in Muar now…
Berita Harian reports that two suraus in Muar, two kilometres apart, are the latest religious sites affected.
Surau Silaturahim di Jalan Ismail mengalami kebakaran pada langsir dan cermin manakala Surau Parit Beting pula mengalami kebakaran di ruang solat wanita, permaidani dan pintu.Hmm, what’s going on here? So far, the general Malaysian reaction to all this has been admirably ‘cool’ – a reflection of increased maturity, wisdom and discernment. Let’s hope it stays that way. This brings the tally of religious sites affected since 8 January to 16.
Penang transport masterplan in the pipeline
From what I hear, a Penang transport masterplan is in the pipeline, with the state government believed to be working now on the terms of reference.
Once the TOR are finalised, an open tender is likely be held, perhaps in the second quarter of 2010, for the actual work of formulating the masterplan, which could take about a year to complete.
The emphasis of the plan is likely to be on sustainable transport. I hope the masterplan will try and wean people away from private vehicle ownership and encourage them to switch to public transport. In line with this, the focus of new infrastructure spending should be on public transport and pedestrian networks (and perhaps even cycling facilities) rather than new highways. The masterplan should also try and maximise the potential of water-based transport in the state.
Did land reclamation affect currents?
Now here’s a piece by Himanshu Bhatt in theSun that is worth pondering over. Goes to show why we can’t take anything for granted if we mess with Nature.
GEORGE TOWN (Jan 19, 2010) : Inshore fishermen who ply the waters of the Penang Channel where the dragon boat capsize incident occurred on Sunday want the authorities to look into the impact of reclamation on the currents in the channel.Khoo Kay Keat, 55, a former Penang Inshore Fishermen’s Welfare Association committee member, who now operates in the area, said they had observed currents changing over last 10 years or so.
Traditional inshore fisherman Khoo Kay Keat points to this new shallow shoreline along the reclaimed land in Jelutong where the Bandar Sri Penang fishermen’s jetty is built. Penang held its Pesta dragon boat race here last year. The accident that took the lives of six people during a dragon-boat training session on Sunday occurred about a km away from this reclaimed area.
Malaysians investing abroad more
Malaysians are investing more abroad than what foreigners are investing in Malaysia, the country’s balance of payments figures indicate.
The “Financial Account” (IMF format) of Malaysia’s Balance of Payments – Source: Bank Negara. Figures in the middle are for the third quarter of 2009, compared to the second quarter (far right column). All figures in RM million.
Malaysians invested RM13.3 billion in stakes in companies abroad while foreigners invested RM3.6 billion in Malaysian firms during the third quarter of 2009.
Portfolio funds appear to have returned in a big way in the third quarter. Has the impact been felt in the country? Or does this represent just a return of portfolio funds seeking higher returns in emerging markets as a result of the low-interest rate regimes in developed nations that have introduced stimulus packages?
The ‘Other Investments – Net’ figure shows an outflow of RM19.9 billion, which warrants a closer look:
| Financial Account | RM million | Q3/09 | -11,078 | -24,198 | |
| Direct Investment Abroad | RM million | Q3/09 | -13,283 | -8,964 | |
| Direct Investment in Malaysia | RM million | Q3/09 | 3,565 | 863 | |
| Portfolio & Financial Derivatives – Net | RM million | Q3/09 | 18,580 | -9,933 | |
| Other Investment – Net | RM million | Q3/09 | -19,939 | -6,163 |
Sadness
A haunting melody by songwriter Amirah Ali, who won the Best Pop Category for “Tell Me” in the 2008 Signature Songwriting Competition.
Thanks for the lead, Sivin. While listening to the song, check out the report “Four reasons for controversial ‘Allah’ ruling” in the Malaysian Insider here.
Music and Lyrics by Amirah Ali Engineered by Jon Gillespie I am saddened and angered by the recent happenings in my country, Malaysia. I would like to share with you this song that I wrote. We are all ONE and so is GOD. KATAKANLAH Hari ke hari ku cari Tapiku tidak pasti Seribu malam ku mimpi Tapi ku belum fahami
PICC petition handed in to Chief Minister’s office
A petition against the proposed Penang International Convention Centre (PICC) was handed in to the Penang state government on Friday, 15 January.
Engineer Tan Seng Hai handed over the petition to Lim Guan Eng’s political secretary, Ng Wei Aik, who received it on behalf of the Chief Minister. Copies were also handed over to the personal assistants of the Secretary and Acting YDP of the Penang Municipal Council, Patahiyah Ismail, and Penang exco member Abdul Malik at their offices.
A total of 347 signatures were collected within 12 days, and Tan expressed satisfaction with the awareness and publicity generated by the petition.
Images from the DAP national convention
Some 1,000 delegates are attending the DAP national convention at a hotel in Ipoh today.
Photos by Kinta Kid (Click the arrow in the centre and then click the icon at the bottom right to toggle to full-screen slideshow mode)
The theme this year is “Transformasi Malaysia“.
Penang’s long awaited local plan sees light
A local plan is in the offing for Penang – a positive development indeed. So, good work to the state government for seeing to this.
I bumped into Penang exco member and local government committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow a few days ago and told him I was pleased to hear about this development.
Many of the problems in the state have been due to haphazard development. A local plan, on the other hand, would provide a systematic guide of what sort of development is allowed in each area and what isn’t.
If you want to know what’s going to happen in your area, then you have to examine the plan when it is displayed. So, I hope adequate publicity and access would be given to the public so that they can provide their views when the plan is put on display.
This excerpt is from an Edge report:
Penang local government committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said that among the steps included the completion of the Penang draft local plan. This plan would govern details of land use throughout the island, including compliance within the heritage zone.
Weekend reflection
Here are a couple of articles that gave me hope and which I appreciated.
On respect, thinking and dialogue – Interview with Tariq Ramadan (theSun)
The day I spoke at the Hall of Holy Spirit – by Mujahid Yusuf Rawa (Malaysian Insider)
Meanwhile, broken glass has been found near the outside wall of a mosque in Kota Samarahan, Sarawak.
Why are young people shunning Bursa?
While the the spate of attacks on religious sites is cause for concern, Bursa Malaysia has more worldly worries.
Few young adults are investing in the Kuala Lumpur stock market. A survey has revealed that only 12 per cent of investors are in the 20-29 age group, while 59 per cent involve those 40 years and above.
Some have cited possible reasons: the high risk factor involved in investing in the stock market; young people preferring to spend their money on property, cars and movies; a lack of education about how to invest, etc.
I have my own theories.
Another church in Seremban targeted
Another church in Seremban has been targeted – the Grace Global Prayer Church in Happy Garden, Rasah, Seremban, according to a twitter message from Lim Kit Siang.
It is the twelfth religious site – eleven of which are church properties – and the second in Seremban to be targeted since 8 January.
The incident at the new two-storey shoplot church occurred at around 8.00pm. Two window panes were found broken.
Need training for your ‘character and attitude’?
A private company based in Kuala Lumpur is conducting an interesting training programme in Johor called “Character and Attitude Training”.
The programme is targeted at 1,500 Malaysians – graduates, unemployed, retrenched workers and existing employees, according to the firm’s website.
It is part of a so-called “Skill Enhancement and Employability Development (Seed)” programme, which is a “capacity building initiative by Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) intended to equip the talents in Johor with soft-skills as well as technical skills to increase the employability of the unemployed and performance of the existing talents in the Region”, according to a letter from the firm to participants.