Tanah yang diberi milik tidak boleh dipindah milik, cagar, pajak, pajakan kecil atau sebarang bentuk urusniaga.Fernandez therefore argues that any form of business transaction is prohibited. So, the state government could just buy back the land by paying the original premium plus interest, he says. It could also issue a notice to the developer to stop any demolition work.
Kg Buah Pala land title prohibits development: Lawyer
Bingo! Could this be it?
Lawyer Derek Fernandez has come up with a surprising finding that should strengthen the Penang state government and the residents’ hand in negotiations with the developer.
The temporary title document (Borang 11AK), registered with the registrar of land titles and issued on 27 March 2008, contains a clause “Sekatan-sekatan kepentingan“, which states:
Gerakan Youth lodges police report against Penang govt
The Penang Gerakan Youth has reportedly lodged a report with the MACC over the alienation of the 2.6ha Kampung Buah Pala land.
Torture and the depths of human depravity
After so many millennia of human existence, you would think people would have become more enlightened.
Not as much as we would like to think. As this documentary ‘Torturing Democracy’ clearly shows, the depth of depravity that those in power can sink to needs to be seen to be believed.
Here you can see former US president George Bush pretending as if torture was the work of a few bad apples, after it had been exposed for the world to see in Abu Ghraib. In reality, however, torture had already been sanctioned at the highest levels.
Police block movie screening in Kg Buah Pala
Police blocked the screening of the movie “Gadoh” at Kampung Buah Pala tonight.
Dozens of police were at the kampung to stop the residents association from showing the movie in the open air along the main lane passing through the village on the grounds that it was an illegal gathering, the movie was controversial, and the event didn’t have a police permit.
LIVE: Drama as Perak Privileges Committee holds meeting
The Perak Rights and Privileges Committee holding a press conference after meeting at an alternative venue – Photos by Jong
The scene this morning as Perak Rights and Privileges Committee members are denied entry into the Perak state government complex – Photo by an eye-witness
1548: Earlier, one DAP officer refuted the claim that the Perak state government personnel had not been informed of the Rights and Privileges Committee meeting this morning. “How could they (say that) when we faxed over to them the notification yesterday and they have acknowledged it?!” he exclaimed. “If they had not known, how come those uniformed police were waiting for us early in the morning? They have no business to be there to stop the people’s elected state representatives from entering the (SUK) building.”
1137: After being denied entry, the Committee has switched the meeting venue to a function room inside the Syuen Hotel coffee house. A press conference will be held at 1.00pm.
The scene this morning as Perak Rights and Privileges Committee members are denied entry into the Perak state government complex – Photo by an eye-witness
1548: Earlier, one DAP officer refuted the claim that the Perak state government personnel had not been informed of the Rights and Privileges Committee meeting this morning. “How could they (say that) when we faxed over to them the notification yesterday and they have acknowledged it?!” he exclaimed. “If they had not known, how come those uniformed police were waiting for us early in the morning? They have no business to be there to stop the people’s elected state representatives from entering the (SUK) building.”
1137: After being denied entry, the Committee has switched the meeting venue to a function room inside the Syuen Hotel coffee house. A press conference will be held at 1.00pm.
Koh’s performance the worst: Former exco member
Former exco member Khor Gark Kim has rated Koh Tsu Koon’s performance as the worst among Penang’s chief ministers so far. (And to think that Koh is now in charge of monitoring Key Perfomance Indicators at the federal level…)
All I can say is if you look at the quality of life in Penang – the overall environment including congestion, the state of cleanliness, water and sea pollution, the cutting of hill-slopes, haphazard property development – since the 1970s, it has clearly deteriorated over the years.
This report from The Star:
Guan Eng’s situation likened to Chong Eu’s struggle July 27, 2009 THE challenges faced by Lim Guan Eng as Penang Chief Minister are similar to those faced by Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, China Press quoted former Penang exco member Datuk Khor Gark Kim as saying.
Tg Bunga folks: Stop work on unapproved lots
Photos by a concerned Tanjung Bunga resident
While the Penang state government seems to be taking a firm stand in the High Chaparral crisis, the village isn’t the only hot potato around. Residents in Tanjung Bunga want the administration to take a similar firm stand against work on unapproved lots in Tanjung Bunga.
Five individuals from the Tanjung Bunga Residents Association and the Chee Seng Action Committee attended a meeting with Penang state exco member Phee Boon Poh on 20 July. The residents are willing to accept a scaled-down version of the project on the approved lot, but they want all “stabilisation” work on unapproved lots to be stopped until a geotech report on how to stabilise the steep hill-slopes is ready.
One of the residents reports on the outcome of the meeting:
Guan Eng takes a bold, high-stakes gamble
Guan Eng’s announcement that he would direct the Penang Munical Council to immediately revoke the development order issued to Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd is a bold and decisive move.
He is finally using the powers of his office to act decisively in the interests of the villagers of Kg Buah Pala.
In this case, the Chief Minister has had to choose whose side the state government would be on come 2 Aug: the people’s or the developer’s. It must have been an agonising choice, as the state government risks being sued.
But if any developer sues the state government, it would effectively be taking on the people of Penang and as Guan Eng vowed, it would be a long and difficult suit.
Breakthrough in Kg Buah Pala negotiations
0049: It appears that some sort of agreement has been struck between the Penang state government and Kg Buah Pala committee members.
The residents and the state government will stand together with the residents on the deadline for vacant possession, according to a source.
The state government could revoke the permit or block approvals related to the project if demolition starts.
Clock ticks on talks as eviction deadline looms
Penang state government reps and Kg Buah Pala villagers are resuming closed-door negotiations at 9.00pm today.
Scuffle breaks out at Komtar
A scuffle broke out between a group of people believed to be linked to MIC Youth and one of Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy’s assistants at around 6.00pm today at Komtar, according to an eye-witness.
The MIC youth reps were there to hand over a memorandum to the state government offering to buy back the Kampung Buah Pala land for RM3.2 million.
After the handing over, which took place cordially, the MIC crowd were still gathered at the ground floor when the assistant allegedly shouted at them from the first floor.
This infuriated the MIC group, words were exchanged, and a few of them then raced towards the assistant. The assistant received a few punches, said the eye-witness, who was not sure if the assistant retaliated before fleeing with other aides to the government offices.
LIVE: Beng Hock’s national memorial service
Live images from the national memorial service for Beng Hock at the KL-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall from 8.00pm onwards (see also live webcast below)
‘chiacy’ has images on Twitter here.
2111: “Perhaps even more people here than I thought,” says my contact. “People still coming as Kit Siang came in.”
2054: PKR’s Sivarasa is now addressing the crowd. He asks for the terms of reference of the royal commission to be extended to include the question: How did Beng Hock die? The crowd responds with thunderous applause.
Says my contact: “What’s nice is though mainly Chinese Malaysian, large numbers of other communities are also here. This is no race issue: custody deaths are a Malaysian problem.”
2051: Another contact estimates the crowd at 3,000. “The hall is full… ground and first floors. Dozens are outside. I have never seen the hall so full,” he marvels.
3,000 at Beng Hock gathering in Malacca
2345: Some 3,000 people turned up at the Pay Fong High School in Malacca tonight to express solidarity with the late Teoh Beng Hock, according to an eye-witness at the scene.
Among the speakers were Nizar, Kit Siang and Tian Chua.
Commission of inquiry: Soaking up public disquiet?
So we are going to have a royal commission of inquiry to look into the MACC’s investigative procedures and an inquest into Beng Hock’s death.
The government can no longer ignore public outrage over what has happened. Politically, Beng Hock’s death has shattered whatever “feel good” effect brought about by the Najib adminstration’s recent public relations initiatives.
By setting up a commission of inquiry and inquest, the Najib administration, apart from its stated objective of uncovering the truth, hopes to quell the anger over what has happened.
While many would welcome the setting up a commission of inquiry, we need to ask what impact previous commissions of inquiry have had.
Razaleigh on MACC and Beng Hock’s death
Part 1 (above)
Part 2: Razaleigh on Abdullah Badawi, ISA and Zaid Ibrahim’s invite to join PKR (below)
Capacity crowd at Beng Hock forum in Penang
Slideshow photos by an eye-witness at the scene (For best results, view on Firefox browser.)
More pictures at Romerz’s blog here.
A capacity crowd packed the hall at the Teoh Beng Hock memorial forum at the Caring Society Complex in Penang tonight. Hundreds who couldn’t squeeze into the hall, sat in the foyer downstairs while many others spilled onto the corridors outside.
Blog reader Ibrahim reports on the turnout:
To give you an idea of the numbers who turned up on the rainy evening, carpark spaces were all taken up by 7.40pm. By 8.05pm, there were standing room only in the hall, with all seats taken. By 8.15pm, some were seated on the floor in front. By 8.30pm, the hallways outside were filled up. By 9.00pm, the stairs leading to the exit as well as the foyer of the building were full. We, the folks inside, could hear stadium-like cheers from the outside when Guan Eng walked in. I would put the numbers at over 4,000.
Beng Hock forum in Penang
Update: D S Gill sends his apologies for being unable to provide live coverage as he can’t get an internet connection at the Caring Society Complex in Penang.
Selangor MACC: 106 new staff approved in Jan 2009
This information on the Selangor MACC from the MACC website may be interesting. It states that 106 new staff were approved on 1 January 2009 for deployment from 2009 to 2013.
Last November, the then ACA (now MACC) director-general Ahmad Said Hamdan said the agency would be getting 5,000 new staff by 2012.
The MACC website also states that the director of Selangor MACC is P/TPj Ja’afar Bin Mahad, who took office only a month ago on 18 June 2009. He previously helmed the body for nine months in 2008.
Recent directors served very brief terms compared to their earlier predecessors:
11. PKPj I Hjh Azni Binti Hamzah 01.01.1999 – 31.01.2005 (7 years) 12. PKPj I Shaharuddin Bin Khalid 01.11.2006 – 31.12.2006 (2 months) 13. PKPj I Mohd Jamidan Bin Abdullah 01.01.2007 – 30.09.2007 (9 months) 14. PKPj I Ja’afar Bin Mahad 01.01.2008 – 05.10.2008 (9 months) 15. P/TPj Moh Samsudin Bin Yusof 06.10.2008 – 17.06.2009 (8 months) 16. P/TPj Ja’afar Bin Mahad 18.06.2009 – sekarang
LIVE: Auld Lang Syne for Teoh Beng Hock
Live images from the Nirvana Memorial Park in Semenyih from 1.30pm to 3.00pm – Photos by an eye-witness. (For best results, view slideshow using Firefox browser and press Shift key + Reload/Refresh icon on your browser to clear cache).
1502: Young people at the back are singing “Auld Lang Syne” in Mandarin. Many of them are Beng Hock’s friends and current and ex-colleagues. About 500 people are reportedly gathered at the site.
1327: The crowd at the Park is now waiting for the arrival of the MB and Kit Siang.
Is Jui Meng’s entry into PKR a reason to celebrate?
While many Pakatan supporters were rejoicing over Chua Jui Meng’s entry into PKR, I had this nagging feeling.
The Pakatan probably needs a psychological boost after Pas’ reduced majority in Manek Urai.
But isn’t there a danger that if more BN types, sidelined by their respective parties, are welcomed to the Pakatan fold, the Pakatan could one day end up becoming “BN Lite”? In the case of Chua, he looks set to be invited to sit on the PKR Supreme Council.
Already there is concern in some circles about some of the ex-Umno types in PKR. Will the party now have to wrestle with ex-MCA types? Remember, race-based politics is not something that is easily shed.