Anwar who?
So we have an RTM reporter who doesn’t know who Anwar is and which party Karpal belongs to. We also have an Utusan reporter who doesn’t know what ultra vires means.
If this is the level of general knowledge among mainstream media reporters, what more the average Malaysian?
It’s a sad reflection of the state of our education system, which doesn’t encourage pupils to think. Nor does it want university students taking an interest in social and political issues.
LIVE: Kg Buah Pala demolition deferred!
Against the odds: Tense scenes as Kg Buah Pala villagers defend their homes from demolition – Photos by C Khor
For a brief backgrounder of the scandal in theSun: The Kg Buah Pala scandal: What’s it all about1503: The bailiff has decided to defer the demolition until the end of August after holding a meeting with OCPD Azam, a village rep and Thanenthiran, according to a contact at the scene. The decision is believed to have been made on humanitarian grounds and to prevent any untoward incident. It’s another reprieve for the beleaguered villagers of Kg Buah Pala who must be heaving a sigh of relief. Sanity has prevailed – at least for today. 1436:A couple of village reps, along with Thanenthiran, are negotiating with the developer to call off the demolition, according to one villager. The OCPD is also at the scene. Some 100 villagers are still forming a human barricade at the foothill.
ISA poll: Let’s have another go…
The ISA poll on the KDN website has shown some wildly fluctuating results.
From 90 per cent of some 14,000 respondents who want the ISA abolished on 10 August, it has now plunged to just 49 per cent of over 17,000 respondents today! Amazing…
(P.S. The poll on the KDN website was removed less than 24 hours after this posting.)
So let’s try another poll here to see what we get. (The earlier poll on this blog showed that 91 per cent wanted the ISA repealed.)
[poll id=”48″]
Reserve land near Kg Buah Pala: Another option
Uninhabited land next to Kampung Buah Pala which could be turned into an eco-village – Photos by Anil
The worried Buah Pala village folk are at a loss over what to do. Few outside the village seem to understand them. They have been labelled as greedy and demanding after being offered 24 two-storey terrace houses – which they feel is not enough as there are about 40 families in the village.
One lanky village youth keeping watch, a walkie-talkie attached to his waist, told me his household has 12 members. “How are we to fit into a terrace house?”
Villagers say a strip of uninhabited state land lies adjacent to the village. A villager pointed out to me where the land stood. I ambled down the slope, past the enclosure of grazing cows on the right and found an open space, filled with undergrowth along a fairly long monsoon drain. I ventured in cautiously – the strip seemed to extend deep inside, and it appeared wide enough for houses to be built. This was probably the 2.4 acres of state reserve land a few had been talking about.
Sarawak water cuts: El Nino or deforestation?
Some 18,000 people in eight divisions of Sarawak, including Kuching, are facing water shortages due to a current drought.
This dry spell is caused by the El Nino phenomenon, says Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister George Chan.
How convenient to put all the blame on “El Nino”.
I spoke to an environmentalist and he said El Nino could be just one of the factors.
Given the size of Sarawak and its low population density, he said one would expect that there would be enough water in the state. Moreover, he said, even in the driest season, rivers do not dry up in Sarawak and water still flows into the sea. But he pointed out there is inadequate infrastructure and inadequate planning for water supply and distribution.
Perhaps one of the biggest problems, he said, is the mismanagement of water catchment areas.
Kg Buah Pala: That RM3.5 million figure…
The Kg Buah Pala villagers have been portrayed as greedy, demanding, and unreasonable. This is partly due to the mixed signals coming from the committee, the seemingly conflicting statements and misrepresentations of those speaking on their behalf including those with vested interests and even those in the state government.
Guan Eng even claimed – incorrectly as it turned out – the villagers want RM3.5 million bungalows or compensation. Where did he get that from? But the damage is already done as it is all over the media.
As a result of such statements in the media by those intent on portraying the villagers as greedy – and the village committee’s own public relations blunders along with outsiders taking advantage – public opinion may have swayed against the villagers.
I have been to the village a few times, and I have never heard of a demand for RM3.5 million bungalows or any similar demand.
Kota Damansara folks against Carrefour project
A satellite image of the Carrefour project site, which lies at the lower-half of the green patch in the middle. The school juts into the green, immediately above the project site. Residents fear that the narrow road on the perimeter of the patch could be converted into a one-way street when congestion increases.
About a hundred Kota Damansara folks staged a protest next to the construction site for Carrefour hypermarket yesterday. They have been campaigning against the project in their area since November 2007.
This is the latest protest against the project. In April 2008, about 400 residents staged a similar protest.
Buah Pala residents agree in principle, but…
In the confusion that surrounds the Kg Buah Pala crisis, a different version of events over the last 24 hours has emerged.
About 80 per cent of the villagers participated in a meeting last night along with several activists. The villagers are understandably upset – there is a strong sense that they have experienced a grave injustice.
The meeting was witnessed by Sungai Siput MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, who revealed some of the villagers’ main reservations over the developer’s offer.
According to him, the villagers have agreed in principle to the developer’s proposal – but subject to further fleshing out and clarification to ensure they are given a decent deal that protects their interests.
They are willing to dialogue and negotiate further with the developer and the state government on these points.
- Their main reservation centres on the number of houses: 24 terrace houses is simply not going to be enough given that there are over 40 families (though not as high as the 60-odd families mentioned by some villagers). So they need more than 24 terrace houses.
On the arrests of teens at the Abolish ISA rally
Also, check out a poll on the ISA at the news portal of the Home Affairs Ministry, no less.
As at 8.06pm, 91 per cent of over 9,000 respondents want the ISA abolished – an identical result (91 per cent) to what my own blog poll revealed in May.
Kg Buah Pala: Face of anguish
Anguish etches the face of Muniammah, 75, at the front door of her home, as she stares out at an uncertain future. – Photo by Anil
Earlier, Muniammah had come up to a few visitors to the village, her hands clasped as if pleading with us for help: “Where will we go after this?” she asked, almost in tears. “We don’t have any money for rental.”
Her parents arrived from India decades ago – she doesn’t know exactly when – and her mother lived in Kampung Buah Pala until she was 90.
She showed a couple of us around her family home, her back hunched as she struggled to walk up the steep path leading from the lane to the front door.
Buah Pala villagers miss noon deadline
1300: Kampung Buah Pala residents have not met a noon deadline to accept a compensation offer by Nusmetro, according to a contact at the scene.
In a just concluded press conference, they expressed anxiety over the conditions attached to the offer. They claimed that Nusmetro’s offer itself was illegal as the temporary title to the land in the Koperasi’s name prohibited any transaction.
Kg Buah Pala: More questions
Let’s go back a bit and look at the timeline:
3 October 2005 – Nusmetro enters into a joint venture with the Koperasi.
5 October 2006 – Planning permission is given by the local authorities.
27 March 2008 – Temporary title (Borang 11AK) (99 year lease) is registered in the name of the Koperasi. The title contains a restriction saying that there can be no transfer, lease, sub-lease or any transaction.
There are also two caveats shown on this temporary title document:
Is Selangor next?
After Perak, is the BN now eyeing Selangor? That is the question that seems to be on quite a few minds.
Malaysians politics is now in a state of flux, with both the BN and the Pakatan suffering a series of setbacks.
This is a piece I wrote for Asia Times:
No winners in Malaysia’s political tussle
By Anil Netto
PENANG – The political situation in Malaysia is in a state of flux as both the ruling coalition and the opposition alliance face mounting challenges and uncertainties.
Selangor Dam water level drops
Photo courtesy of Magick River
The Magick River blog reports that the water level at the Selangor Dam has plummeted.
Buah Pala villagers given until Friday noon
More details of the compensation package have emerged, which supersedes my earlier post on the subject.
Here is the summary of the package gleaned from a copy of a letter obtained from one of the villagers. The two-page letter dated 4 August bears the signature of a director of Nusmetro (name not given):
- Two-storey terrace houses to be erected on plots measuring 20 feet by 60 feet each. The built-up area of each will be roughly 1,400 square feet.
- The villagers have to withdraw all legal action.
Kg Buah Pala: The controversial deal
Here’s an article that should be essential reading in understanding the background to the Kg Buah Pala issue.
In particular, how did Penang state government sell the land to the Koperasi when the trusteeship is believed to have passed to the Federal Government?
Kg Buah Pala: The compensation offered
From a source, I hear that the following compensation was offered to the villagers at tonight’s meeting:
Two-storey cluster houses: upstairs – 600 square feet; downstairs – 600 sq feet; outside porch, etc – 200 sq feet.
Fires causing haze in Sarawak, Klang
The smog is hitting some areas badly – and it is probably caused by fires and open burning in surrounding areas.
The API reading in Bintulu at 5.00pm was 110, Miri – 121, Samarahan – 111 and Port Klang – 113. Anything above 100 is unhealthy.
A contact in Sarawak told me that a friend of his on a flight from Kuching to Sibu tonight spotted open fires all around as the plane approached Sibu.
Two Sundays ago, another friend of his driving from Bintulu to Kuching spotted similar open burning along the way.
What are the authorities doing about such open burning?
Reprieve for Kg Buah Pala! (updates)
Photos by a kind soul
1600: The developer, Nusmetro, has held a press conference in George Town. It denies there was any legal agreement to hold back demolition, according to a reporter at the scene. Only a court order can hold it back, argues Thomas Chan of Nusmetro. The developer is giving the residents until Friday to vacate the land.
Tonight, during its meeting with the residents, the state government is expected to present a more detailed settlement proposal to the villagers, which would probably involve getting the villagers to co-exist next to the Oasis project.
This morning, about 150 residents formed a human barricade at the village when they heard that a demolition team was not far away. Eye-witnesses spotted about 30 white-helmeted workers wearing lime-green T-shirts with the words “SRE Ventures Contractor” and wielding sledge-hammers; some of them appeared to be foreign workers. But no bulldozers were seen and the demolition team failed to show up in the village.
About 100 police personnel observed the villagers forming the barricade.