First attacks on churches outside Klang Valley
2026: Hishamuddin confirms seven churches have become the target of vandalism in the country so far. But my tally indicates eight.
Maybe his tally doesn’t include the Convent school in Taiping that was struck by a molotov cocktail, although church officials say it was probably meant for the St Louis Catholic Church next door.
In the incident in Miri, the glass windows of the Good Shepherd Church were shattered after being thrown with bricks, according to a church member, Bernama reports. It is believed to be an Anglican church located in Lutong, Miri.
Except for the first arson attack, the other six incidents caused negligible damage.
2006: A scroller on Bernama TV Channel 502 over the 8.00pm news confirms that a church in Miri was targeted.
1858: Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Peter Chin said earlier today that incidents such as burning of churches would not happen in Sarawak. “Honestly, I do not think such incidents will happen in Sarawak. We have been living in peace and harmony for a long, long time because Sarawakians are sensible people,” the Borneo Post quoted him as saying.
Time for peace, reconciliation and forgiveness
This Sunday, I would like to share this video featuring the singer Angelina that was filmed in Assisi in Italy, the hometown of the 13th-century saint, Francis.
Make me a channel of your peace, Where there is hatred let me bring your love, Where there is injury your pardon Lord, And where there’s doubt true faith in you.
4th arson attempt as 130 groups slam violence
In a ringing condemnation, 125 civil society groups and five political parties have come out to against the attempted arson attacks against churches following the controversy over the use of the word Allah.
The groups, covering a wide spectrum of Malaysian society, issued the statement here at a joint press conference held at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this afternoon.
The condemnation comes in the wake of the latest attempted arson attack on a fourth church.
Church arson attacks: Cooler heads must prevail
2033: We round off this dark day with a statement just released by the Aliran exco: ‘Bigotry in the name of Allah’.
The silver lining in all this is that the crowds at the various protests were not as large as many had feared, and the vast majority of Malaysians simply walked away and refused to join in. Many groups and netizens issued statements and comments condemning this lapse into momentary madness. Therein lies a glimmer of hope for a better Malaysia that many of us believe is possible.
Another bright light can be seen over here, where blogger Dr Rafick, a Muslim, has initiated a donation drive to raise funds to repair the Metro Tabernacle Church.
1928: IGP Musa Hasan denied reports that a fourth church was attacked, according to the Insider. He said three demonstrations were held in Kuala Lumpur, two in Pahang, four in Selangor and one in Terengganu and they all ended within 15 minutes. He urged the public not to believe rumours spread by SMS and over the Internet.
1853: Only 25 people protested at the Kampong Baru mosque this afternoon, according to one eye-witness. A Malaysian Insider twitter update put the figure at 20. Malaysiakini put the figure at 50 and noted that other Muslims leaving the mosque told the protesters to “just go home!”
Another interesting deal in Sarawak
Here’s another land deal in Sarawak. Ta Ann Holdings Bhd, through its unit, Multi Maximum Sdn Bhd, is buying an obscure company Europalm Sdn Bhd.
Ta Ann is paying RM20.5 million for the entire two million shares of RM1 each in Europalm, according to the Business Times.
Europalm reportedly owns 1,500ha of plantation land at Jemoreng Land, Sarawak and had been awarded another 1,113ha at Seredeng Land. That would make the average purchase price RM3,200 per acre.
An analyst was reported as saying it was a very good price as “Sarawak plantation land is often considered to be more expensive at RM18,000 to RM20,000 per acre depending on the proximity, infrastructure and facilities”.
Question: How much did Europalm pay for the land?
UK unveils “grow your own food” plan
The UK has unveiled a 20-year food strategy that would include making land available for people to grow their own food.
See, it’s not as far fetched as some people might think.
Part of the plan entails facilitating cooperation between local landowners and community groups to make land available temporarily for food cultivation.
How logging destroyed an ancient civilisation
What caused the disappearance of the Nasca people in Peru?
Archaeologists have discovered that the destruction of forests pushed the ancient civilisation, noted for their compex line drawings on the ground that are visible only from the air, across an ecological tipping point.
The loss of the forests exposed the area to the impact of the cyclical El Nino phenomenon and affected irrigation systems, they found.
Unsung heroes in the struggle for Merdeka
We are so used to the mainstream version of history. Catch this story by Hishamuddin Yahaya in Aliran Monthly to find out more about the little-known heroes in the struggle for independence.
(From left) Ishak Haji Mohammed, Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy and Ahmad Boestamam – Photos courtesy of Aliran Monthly
Apart from the prominent figures above, countless numbers of ordinary Malaysians, including workers, were involved in the quest for independence.
Bukit Botak: Selangor protects settlers’ rights
Well done to the Selangor state government for protecting the rights of 270 settlers through its acquisition of land in Bukit Botak, Selayang.
This goes to show that where there is political will to protect the people’s interest, there is often a way – even though there was already an agreement with a developer.
Does our education system kill creativity?
Is our education system designed to produce more human cogs in the corporate production line?
Are we just interested in churning out more graduates – never mind if they cannot analyse and think creatively and critically across disciplines? Does our education system kill off natural creativity and talent among the young, especially in the arts, drama, dance and literature?
Check out this Youtube clip featuring Ken Robinson. Wikipedia describes him as follows:
Protest at Allah verdict in Penang
A group of about 200 to 250 Muslims protested this morning in Penang against the High Court verdict granting the Herald the right to use the term ‘Allah’.
The gathering, in front of the Dewan Sri Pinang, opposite the Penang High Court, began at 10.15am and ended before 11.15am, according to an eyewitness. It was organised by the Badan Anti IFC (Inter-Faith Council) network, known by its acronym Badai, and comprised representatives of various groups. Badai was the same loose group that gathered some 200 demonstrators and disrupted an Article 11 forum at a hotel in Penang in 2006.
Augustine Paul’s role will not be forgotten
Federal Court judge Augustine Paul, who passed away yesterday, will be remembered by many Malaysians for his role in the Anwar trial during the reformasi era.
His frequent use of the word “irrelevant” during the Anwar corruption trial whenever Anwar’s defence counsel wanted to raise what they felt was pertinent evidence soon resulted in the word becoming something of a sarcastic buzz-word in Malaysia.
Paul’s meteoric rise through the judicial ranks, immediately before and after that trial, raised eyebrows.
One of his last major decisions was in the case of Kampung Buah Pala, where some 300 residents were facing eviction and the demolition of their ancestral village. On 24 June 2009, Federal Court judges Paul, Hashim Yusoff and Mohd Ghazali Mohd Yusoff dashed the villagers’ hopes by unanimously rejecting their application for leave to appeal against a Court of Appeal decision that had overturned a landmark High Court verdict in their favour.
Can the Penang govt direct MPPP to build PICC?
Can the Penang state government direct the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) to implement the proposed Penang International Convention Centre?
On 30 November 2009, in response to an oral question in the Penang State Assembly by Pantai Jerejak member Sim Tze Tzin (PKR), Chow Kon Yeow, responding on behalf of the Chief Minister, replied that “in line with a state government directive, the MPPP had been directed to implement the construction of a convention centre at a site determined by the state government, that is, at the Penang International Sports Arena (Pisa) in Relau, Penang”.
He added that the proposal was in the planning stage, and the MPPP would decide if a traffic impact assessment was needed once it received a detailed proposal.
Is it within the power of the state government to issue such a directive to the MPPP?
Landslide hazard areas of Penang
Our gut feeling may tell us that some parts of Penang appear more landslide prone than others, but are there any scientific or geological grounds for such concern?
Landslide hazard map – Maps from paper by Lee and Pradhan
Here are a couple of maps reproduced from a paper on ‘Probabilistic landslide hazards and risk mapping on Penang Island’ by Saro Lee (Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources) and Biswajeet Pradhan.
This paper looks at landslide hazards and comes up with a landslide risk analysis of Penang Island using Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing data. From this a hazard map (above) was produced with a high degree of accurarcy, the authors say.
Landslide hazard map – Maps from paper by Lee and Pradhan
Here are a couple of maps reproduced from a paper on ‘Probabilistic landslide hazards and risk mapping on Penang Island’ by Saro Lee (Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources) and Biswajeet Pradhan.
This paper looks at landslide hazards and comes up with a landslide risk analysis of Penang Island using Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing data. From this a hazard map (above) was produced with a high degree of accurarcy, the authors say.
Why I am against the Penang convention centre
The proposal for a Penang International Convention Centre is already moving, but I dare say a large majority of Penangites are unaware of it.
This artist impression of the convention centre doesn’t show how close it will be to the existing Penang International Sports Arena (Pisa).
In fact, the public have been given until 8 January 2010 to submit their opinions and views – and that’s it for the consultation.
The Bayan Baru Residents Association has already registered its objection in a letter to the press. You can submit your views to the Penang Municipal Council or you can email your views to riduan@mppp.gov.my before the deadline expires.
Personally, I am against the project, which is expected to cost RM50 million (and that’s just an estimate). The money is expected to come out of the precious funds of the Council, which has budgeted a deficit of RM40 million in 2010 on the back of revenue of RM230 million (two thirds of which is raised from assessments/taxes). The Council has allocated RM30 million for the convention centre in 2010 and a further RM20 million is expected to be incurred in 2011.
Why Penang doesn’t need a convention centre like this built with public funds:
This artist impression of the convention centre doesn’t show how close it will be to the existing Penang International Sports Arena (Pisa).
In fact, the public have been given until 8 January 2010 to submit their opinions and views – and that’s it for the consultation.
The Bayan Baru Residents Association has already registered its objection in a letter to the press. You can submit your views to the Penang Municipal Council or you can email your views to riduan@mppp.gov.my before the deadline expires.
Personally, I am against the project, which is expected to cost RM50 million (and that’s just an estimate). The money is expected to come out of the precious funds of the Council, which has budgeted a deficit of RM40 million in 2010 on the back of revenue of RM230 million (two thirds of which is raised from assessments/taxes). The Council has allocated RM30 million for the convention centre in 2010 and a further RM20 million is expected to be incurred in 2011.
Why Penang doesn’t need a convention centre like this built with public funds:
Avatar: Beyond the 3-D, another dimension
This post is dedicated to blogger Antares, who I understand is seriously ill with a malaria infection. Antares knows all about the inter-connectedness of Nature that the movie Avatar depicts so beautifully. Wishing him a speedy recovery.
A couple of days ago, I thought I would check out the movie Avatar after a couple of friends tipped me off about the story line.
Of course, the special effects in this movie by the directors of Titanic are spectacular and the unorthodox love story, compelling. But looking beyond these, I was pleasantly surprised by the powerful and rich underlying messages in the movie.
In the movie, the earth is dying as humanity has destroyed the environment. Humans are colonising another planet to extract minerals and other raw materials from a site where an alien tribe lives. Corporate greed is alive, this time focused on exploiting the untapped resources of the alien planet, while science is being used to serve the corporate agenda.
Vegetables: Just grow them … the natural way!
Concerned about expensive vegetables? Why not do something about it…
Blog reader Anthony Louis comments from afar:
Hello Malaysians, I live in Germany. You guys will be surprised how many people grow their own veges in their homes and then share them with their neighbours.