March 2008 8 – Opposition parties sweep to power in Penang. 13 – Buah Pala villagers meet the new Penang Chief Minister and inform him about their situation. 14 – But the very next day, the state government accepts final payment of RM2,247,000* for the Buah Pala land, nearly a year after the last payment, and almost 10 months after the Land Office asked for final payment. 15 – The villagers are tipped off that final payment has been made.
Kg Buah Pala: Release Pakatan exco minutes too
There’s still quite a bit of unfinished business in this saga.
Why is it so important? First, land which is now said to be worth RM80-100 per sq ft was alienated to the Koperasi for RM10psf or RM3.2 million by the previous BN administration. Millions of ringgit that could have gone to the people of Penang were effectively handed over on a silver platter to the Koperasi-Nusmetro in exchange for peanuts. The big issue is, could the Pakatan state government have stopped the deal in its tracks?
Was the new state government in Penang unaware of the Kg Buah Pala crisis during the crucial period from when they came into power on 8 March 2009 until the land transfer was effected on 27 March 2008? Let’s zoom in on this period.
They just can’t keep their hands off Penan areas
Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu has held up the Penan village at Suai in Ulu Niah in Sarawak as a “role model” for Penan villages, according to the Borneo Post.
But even in Suai, the state can’t keep its hands off Penan lands, and they too have to fight to assert their rights, as this excerpt from the Malaysian Mirror indicates:
MIRI – A meeting between 40 Penan landowners in Suai and representatives of SPB Pelita Suai Sdn Bhd ended successfully today when the landowners agreed to remove blockades on the promise that they be paid between RM1,900 and RM18,900 depending on the size of their land.
More going out than coming in
Malaysia’s financial account shows a large net outflow of investments in both the first (far right column) and second quarters of 2009.
Where is all the money going? – Source: Bank Negara
The latest Unctad investment flows report shows a similar net outflow of foreign direct investment in 2008.
I stumbled across those figures while writing the following piece on the Malayisan economy for Asia Times:
| Financial Account | RM million | Q2/09 | -24,198 | -29,758 | |
| Direct Investment Abroad | RM million | Q2/09 | -8,964 | 435 | |
| Direct Investment in Malaysia | RM million | Q2/09 | 863 | 2,761 | |
| Portfolio & Financial Derivatives – Net | RM million | Q2/09 | -9,933 | -12,153 | |
| Other Investment – Net | RM million | Q2/09 | -6,163 | -20,799 |
Snuffing out the real Firefly
Another instance of corporate destruction of the environment: this time forest clearing by an oil palm plantation firm snuffs out the twinkling lights of the fireflies dancing above the banks of the Kuala Selangor River.
Sometimes, the residents win…
Residents of Taman Golf in Ipoh have successfully appealed for the removal of a sewage treatment plant facing their homes.
A rare victory – Photo courtesy of Ipoh Echo
A three-person panel of the Perak Appeals Board, led by N H Chan, allowed their appeal and ordered the Ipoh City Council to instruct the Royal Perak Golf Club to dismantle and demolish the sewage treatment plant within a month.
A rare victory – Photo courtesy of Ipoh Echo
A three-person panel of the Perak Appeals Board, led by N H Chan, allowed their appeal and ordered the Ipoh City Council to instruct the Royal Perak Golf Club to dismantle and demolish the sewage treatment plant within a month.
Remembering the horrors of war
Kseniya Simonova’s haunting sand animation evokes painful memories of the tremendous Ukrainian suffering and loss of life during World War II.
Ukraine is believed to have lost more people in World War II than any other European nation as a result of the brutal Nazi occupation, followed by the Soviet reoccupation.
Tg Bunga now high-density ‘primary corridor’?
Tanjong Bunga residents are alarmed by inconsistencies in the Penang Structure Plan for their area that could lead to more congestion and construction projects. They claim that, under the previous administration, the diagram in the Plan was unilaterally re-zoned as a high-density ‘Primary Corridor’; the Plan had earlier been displayed for public scrutiny with the diagram showing Tanjung Bunga as a ‘Secondary Corridor’.
This distinction is crucial as the permissible density for a Secondary Corridor zone is 6-15 (max) homes per acre whereas for a Primary Corridor, there is no limit, say the residents. They assert that this classification is a policy matter which the present state government could easily rectify.
The Tanjung Bunga Residents Association points out the following:
Are you a young adult…
… trying to make sense of what is happening in the world around you and wondering how you can participate in issues that matter to you? Then this event is for you.
Aliran is organising a one-day interactive workshop in Penang this Saturday (26 September) for young adults (19-35 years of age) to raise awareness of their role in good governance and how they can shape the world around them. More information here.
“Surface subway” vs Porr
Do we really need Porr and more highways if we have a bus rapid transit system like in Bogota?
Bus rapid transit vs subway
A bus rapid transit system can carry as many passengers as a subway system, as the city of Curitiba in Brazil has shown.
I like this quote in the above video clip: “The problem is not the people who use the buses but the people who use the cars.”
Sarawak: Between spin and reality
Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has delivered a special message to mark the festive season. Among his comments is a comical demand which will no doubt add to the merriment: stop criticising the government!
According to Bernama:
“If there are (sic) chaos in the country, it will be impossible for us to celebrate any festivity. We should therefore take stock of what the government has done for us,” he said in his Hari Raya message. He also said that Malaysians were fortunate to have a prime minister “who has the qualification and a leader who cares for the people’s well-being”.These remarks coming from a Colombo Plan Australian-trained lawyer, no less.
Revitalising Prangin Canal
If Seoul can courageously dismantle a highway carrying 180,000 vehicles a day and revitalise a stream in the city centre, there is no reason why we cannot restore Prangin Canal in Penang.
Today’s guest writer is Chau Loon Wai:
A good city always provides local residents and visitors alike with quality public realms that invite people to be there – people opt to be there, instead of being there out of necessity. The Prangin Canal is one very important water body in George Town, which had unfortunately been transformed into an open sewer, then conveniently covered, which then led to it being forgotten for too long a time; perhaps many young Penangites may not even be aware of its existence.
How to improve a city within three years
Jaime Lerner, the former mayor of Curitiba who transformed the Brazilian city, says budgetary constraints can force urban planners to think more creatively about sustainable development.
Malaysia’s net FDI outflow jumps to US$6b
According to Unctad’s World Investment Report 2009 released last night, Malaysia experienced a net FDI outflow of US$6.0 billion in 2008, more than double the US$2.7 billion net outflow posted in the previous year.
Inward FDI fell to US$8.1 billion (18.4 per cent of GDP) in 2008 from US$8.4 billion (20.6 per cent of GDP) the previous year. Outward FDI, on the other hand, soared to US$14.1 billion from US$11.9 billion in 2007.
Penan sexual abuse: Piling trauma upon pain?
In response to the official investigative report confirming the sexual abuse of Penan women and girls, the Sarawak Women and Family Council appears to be ready to take action – and carry out another probe!
This from The Borneo Post:
Council ready to probe Penan women rape claim KUCHING: Members of the Sarawak Women and Family Council are prepared to go to the ground to investigate claims that Penan women were raped or sexually exploited following the findings of a taskforce set up by Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. Council chairperson Datin Fatimah Abdullah said yesterday she was still waiting for the taskforce report from the government and the police. The taskforce report has indicated that Penan women and students were indeed sexually exploited by timber workers because they are very vulnerable and also partly due to consequences of imbalanced development.
Interview with … a cow
Cows have been very much in the news, from the protest in KL to the Buah Pala evictions. On a lighter note, here’s an interview with a difference.
Arrested for trying to hand over a memo?
The highhanded police action against the 15 activists and indigenous reps in Kuching yesterday was a waste of resources.
All they wanted to do was hand over a petition to state government leaders expressing their concern over the Murum and other dams and the displacement of natives. For that, they were arrested, reportedly for illegal assembly, and later released on police bail.
The CM and his Ministers were too arrogant to even come and accept the memo. The natives have an issue that needs resolving – not arresting. This is the prevailing feeling in town, says a Kuching-based observer.
Porr to return, reclamation at Gurney Drive?
Now this is alarming: not only is the 18km tolled Penang Outer Ring Road back on the cards again, the concessionaire is reportedly seeking to reclaim 61ha of land off Gurney Drive and 142ha at Middle Bank, close to the Weld Quay jetties.
When it comes to taking a stand on Porr, is there much to separate the BN from the Pakatan state government?
‘Anak Bangsa Malaysia’ initiative launched
Rakyat@work reports on the launch of the Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative in KL while over in Penang, a smaller group met up to express solidarity:
The launch in KL – Photos by Rakyat@work
The Penang solidary gathering at a nasi kandar restaurant – Photo by Lucia Lai
Just last month, we celebrated Merdeka Day and yesterday we had Malaysia day. Really, it was by far the most subdued and lifeless ‘celebration’ I have ever experienced. Other than uncertainty in our economic challenges, we have also inherited a degenerative political disease which inflicts daily insults and threats to the rakyat. A sense of ‘hopelessness’ is slowly creeping inside our immune system. It is like getting worse day by day. Everything seems to be going backwards.
So, what’s new? Fortunately, a small flame was flickering in the darkness: the launch of a new Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative.
The Penang solidary gathering at a nasi kandar restaurant – Photo by Lucia Lai
Just last month, we celebrated Merdeka Day and yesterday we had Malaysia day. Really, it was by far the most subdued and lifeless ‘celebration’ I have ever experienced. Other than uncertainty in our economic challenges, we have also inherited a degenerative political disease which inflicts daily insults and threats to the rakyat. A sense of ‘hopelessness’ is slowly creeping inside our immune system. It is like getting worse day by day. Everything seems to be going backwards.
So, what’s new? Fortunately, a small flame was flickering in the darkness: the launch of a new Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative.