The sad tale of High Chaparral

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old-well The old well at Kampung Buah Pala where clear fresh water reaches ground level – Photo by Anil Netto For those of you still unfamiliar with the background to the High Chaparral issue, here’s an excellent write-up by Himanshu Bhatt in today’s Sun:
Kampung Buah Pala holds its breath THERE is an old well said to have been dug some 100 years ago in Penang’s Kampung Buah Pala, a charming settlement of cowherds and planters, which still provides fresh groundwater for many villagers. So remarkable is this well that during the national water crisis of the late 1990s, it became the lifeline for thousands of Penangites who made a bee-line to collect its water when all other supplies failed.
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Lifting the corporate veil on Nusmetro Ventures

Anil Netto
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It’s time to lift the corporate veil on the developer of the Oasis project, Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, to find out who the people behind it are. The company was previously known as Nusmetro Ventures Sdn Bhd, until the name was changed in 29 April 2005 – around the same time the previous state government entered into an agreement with the Penang State Government Officers Cooperative to alienate the High Chaparral land. The Nusmetro Group website is very “shy” when it comes to revealing the names of the top people in the company. So we need to look elsewhere. The three directors of Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, according to information from registered company documents as at 3 February 2009 filed with the Companies Commission of Malaysia, are as follows:
  • Mohamad Faridz bin Karim from Balik Pulau
  • Lim Lai Cheng @ Lim Choh Poh from PJ
  • Au Chee Kuan from PJ
Lam Chung Fatt from Batu Caves is the company secretary. According to a PKR source, Mohamad Faridz is believed in Balik Pulau circles to be allegedly linked to a Penang Umno bigwig.
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Guan Eng warns developer not to play hard ball

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Chief Minister Guan Eng has issued a warning to Nusmetro Ventures after the Oasis developer’s “highly irresponsible and inflammatory” threats yesterday. Meanwhile, the state investigative committee needs to quickly get to the bottom of the circumstances surrounding the questionable sale and land transfers. What has happened to the villagers’ report to the MACC?
The State Government will not take a single cent of the so-called “goodwill payment” from the developer unless the kampung Buah Pala residents agree to the compensation. The Penang state government warns Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, the developer of the proposed housing project in Kampung Buah Pala, for threatening to send bulldozers in by August 2 to forcibly evict residents and demolish their houses as highly irresponsible and inflammatory. It is highly improper to stoke fear into the villagers’ hearts by reminding them that they will have to move out by Aug 2 when the one-month grace period given by the developer expires and there will be “no more extensions”. The one-month grace period was negotiated by the state government with the developer to find a solution to the problem.
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Developer says villagers have until 2 Aug

Anil Netto
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The developer for the Oasis project, Nusmetro, says the High Chaparral villagers have until 2 Aug to leave the land, according to a media source.  The developer is drawing a firm line in the sand.
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Images from the High Chaparral protest in Komtar

Anil Netto
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LIVE: High Chaparral villagers inside Komtar

Anil Netto
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Villagers: “We want our land which is our life”

Anil Netto
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The Kampung Buah Pala residents have released a statement today, expressing dissatisfaction with Pakatan politicians who had promised to defend their right to the land during the general election campaign last year. The villagers, who had earlier filed a complaint with the MACC over the land deal, are also claiming that not all families and households were offered compensation. Some excerpts from the statement:
If the present State Government cannot stop the demolition then it is adopting the abuse of power by the previous government and is a party to it. …We ask the state government to act now and at least stop and postpone the demolition. It can direct the developer and the police to do so. It should not abdicate its responsibility and shirk its responsibility.
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CM: Penang can’t afford to acquire High Chaparral land

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Penang Chief Minister Guan Eng makes several points:
  • The crisis was created under the previous BN administration;
  • The Buah Pala villagers should distinguish between their friends and those responsible for their predicament;
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PKR councillor’s sacking from MPSP creates a stir

Anil Netto
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The Penang state exco has removed Johari Kassim as councillor of the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) with effect from 26 June. Johari, the PKR whip at the council, had led a boycott of the swearing-in ceremony of new council president Mokhtar Mohd Jait, a former district officer of northern Seberang Perai. Johari claimed that the Council president’s post was reserved for PKR.
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High Chaparral: Deputy CM Mansor to meet developers

Anil Netto
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Deputy Chief Minister Mansor Othman is to meet the Oasis developers tomorrow to discuss the crisis faced by High Chaparral villagers facing eviction, according to a media source. He expressed some optimism that the developers could be persuaded not to file the writ of eviction on the residents just yet.  The residents want their village to be preserved as a cultural and heritage area. Mansor’s meeting with the developers will thrust the new Deputy CM into the spotlight and provide a stern test of his mettle under pressure.
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Now it’s 1Sarawak…

Anil Netto
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From 1Malaysia… it’s now 1Sarawak… Or is it from 1Sarawak towards 1Malaysia? Whatever. I just wonder what “1Sarawak” would mean to those struggling to protect their native customary land from encroachment by plantation and logging firms or to those being displaced by the state’s dam-building frenzy. Excerpt of a report from The Borneo Post:
Promoting 1M’sia with 1S’wak Concepts vital to thwart effects of new-style politics which could be detrimental to progress SRI AMAN: Sarawak is ready to lead the way in realising the 1Malaysia concept by developing its own version called the ‘1Sarawak’.
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Frustrated villagers gather outside Adun’s house

Anil Netto
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Photos by Kris Khaira and another 2100: As time runs out, a few dozen High Chaparral villagers have gathered outside the house of the Adun for Seri Delima, R S N Rayer, located off Jalan Masjid Negeri/Green Lane. Some of the frustrated villagers call for his resignation. “We were betrayed by the BN government previously,” says one of them. “We voted for the Pakatan government, hoping they could bring about change. But we have been let down again.” No one emerges from the house. The lights inside are off though the porch with cars parked in it is lit. Several of the villagers are being interviewed by reporters. One of them claims that the village land could have been federal instead of state land. He says that when the Housing Trust was dissolved in the 1970s, “Vested Crown” land should have gone to the federal government.
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Time running out for High Chaparral villagers

Anil Netto
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The hourglass has been inverted and the fine sand is now rushing out of the narrow tube into the bottom bulb. The bailiff has obtained a Penang High Court order for the residents of Kampong Buah Pala to vacate their premises as a prelude to demolition.
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Najib to Obama: M’sia strongly believes in democracy

Anil Netto
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Would you believe it? When Obama phoned, Najib told him that Malaysia strongly believes “in the ideals and principles of democracy, including accountability and transparency”. I wonder if he mentioned how 900 police and riot police personnel turned up to try and stop the DAP from holding a dinner in Klang on 21 June and in the end, carted away the PA system and forbade the organisers from making speeches. Najib also discussed Obama’s plan to close down the Guantanamo detention camp and indicated Malaysia’s willingness to accept two Malaysian detainees held there. Would they receive a fair trial in Malaysia’s democracy? In line with Malaysia’s professed strong belief in democracy, would the Malaysian government similarly shut down the Kamunting Detention Centre for good?
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TBRA urges Penang govt to act against MPPP failures

Anil Netto
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[poll id=”42″] Frustrated by the silence and the perceived inaction of the Penang state government, the Tanjung Bunga Residents Association has written a letter to exco members Chow Kon Yeow and Phee Boon Poh, expressing its concerns about property development projects on steep hill slopes. The group is also calling for action to be taken against those in the Penang Municipal Council who were responsible for approving such projects:
TBRA notes the press article in today’s Star (25 June 2009) with some concern as it only talks about rectifying the steep slopes and that TBRA has not heard of any other measures to be taken despite the submissions of memorandums, letters, police reports and other meetings with State Government officials from Feb to June 2009.
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Chancellor who?

Anil Netto
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Today’s pop quiz: Who is the Chancellor of Universiti Industri Selangor?
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Wide gap between rich and poor worsens mental health

Anil Netto
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A study for the World Health Organisation has provided evidence of how the gap between the rich and the poor affects individual and collective mental health. It shows how the gap causes psychological and physiological changes that affect the mental health of individuals. The report also argues that the mental health component is important in analysing broader health and social issues. (The study should be seen in conjunction with another study “The Spirit Level”, which revealed that a wider income gap leads to a higher incidence of social ills. Think of the rising crime rate, etc in Malaysia.) Malaysia has one of the widest income inequalities in the region – and so it’s not surprising that a Bernama report shows that mental health cases are on the rise in the country. Maybe that is why we see so many Malaysians displaying all manner of strange behaviour, whether on the roads or even in Parliament or the Perak State Assembly!
Mental Illnesses Among Malaysians On The Rise KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) — Mental illnesses has been on the rise in the country, with more individuals seeking treatment for problems ranging from mild anxiety disorders to severe schizophrenia. According to health ministry statistics, last year saw 379,010 individuals treated as psychiatric outpatients in government hospitals, as compared to 324,344 in 2007.
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Engage sustainable transport expert – in line with CAT

Anil Netto
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I was on the road today and, looking at the traffic, I couldn’t help wondering what the Penang government’s plans are to ease congestion in the state. Surely, there is an urgent need to engage a planning expert come up with a blueprint for sustainable transport management, which would also include pedestrian-friendly streets, cycling lanes, buses, other forms of public transport, and ferries. A masterplan should be drawn up to plan the traffic corridors and ensure that future property development projects  fit into this blueprint. So here are some questions for the state government:
  • Is it thinking of engaging a sustainable transport planning expert?
  • Does it have a budget for this? And if so, how much?
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35,000 foreigners whipped in last 7 years

Anil Netto
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According to Prisons Department records, 47,914 foreigners were found to have violated the Immigration Act from 2002 to 2008. Of these, 34,923 were whipped. The remaining 12,991 escaped whipping because two thirds of them were women while the other third were men over 50. [poll id=”41″]
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Charlie Chaplin on democracy and unity

Anil Netto
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Excerpt from Charlie Chaplin’s first true “talking picture”, The Great Dictator, released in 1940. Border guards mistake Chaplin’s character, a humble barber, for a dictator (also played by Chaplin) who resembles him. The real dictator, meanwhile, is mistaken for the barber and arrested. The barber assumes the dictator’s identity and uses the opportunity to make a rousing speech and mobilise the masses in support of freedom and democracy!
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