Inspiring sense of one-ness outside RPK’s trial

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Raja Petra arrives in court for his sedition trial this morning

Rakyat@Work sends us this eye-witness account from court:

Folks, keep supporting Raja and be there tomorrow? It was a fantastic experience. I got to shake hands with great people such as Marina, Din Merican, Lim Kit Siang, Ronnie and some famous bloggers. You wanna feel what justice is all about? Be there.

There were really generous people too, who gave out free T-shirts, drinks, and cakes. Of course, stocks of T-shirts for sales were also available. A feeling of one-ness was there: people of different races who share the same sadness but carry the same hope and resolve to see this through. It’s difficult to express in words.

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RPK in court now

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Lim Kit Siang reports from the Sessions Court in PJ:
In Petaling Jaya sessions court now where the celebrated RPK sedition trial has just started. Big crowd of RPK supporters and well-wishers including household names in Malaysian blogosphere like Haris Ibrahim, Zorro and Delcapo in court but space too limited to accommodate even a substantial number of people who had to overflow outside.
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From tsunami to fire, Tg Bunga fisherfolk need your help

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Four fishermen’s homes were damaged in the 26 July blaze

Faizal showing me his tiny home a few weeks before the fire

Now even that is gone: What’s left of Faizal’s home after the fire

In early July 2008, I wrote a blog entry ‘Where has all the tsunami money gone?’ highlighting the plight of several fisherfolk in Tanjung Bunga, victims of the 2004 tsunami that hit the shores of Penang. They were forced to relocate to temporary housing – actually, they were more like small cubicles in a longhouse on the beach – as they were unable to obtain lots in affordable flats built on the site of their former fishing village. Now what little they had has literally gone up in ashes after fuel stored for their motorboats accidentally leaked and caught fire, seriously damaging four longhouse homes belonging to Faizal bin Mhd Yusuff, Ahmad bin Ismail, Ramli bin Din and Ismail on the night of 26 July 2008. The fisherfolk received prompt assistance of RM300 from the Buddhist Tzu Chi group in Penang. They also received relief assistance of RM1,000 each from the Pejabat Daerah dan Tanah. The Penang Office for Human Development chipped in with close to RM10,000 to help the fisher folk replace their burnt nets so that they could go back to the sea as soon as possible. Now the fishermen are hoping to rebuild their homes and repair the damage done. For that, they will need to raise a total of RM21,000.
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Penang govt to widen consultation on wi-fi health risks

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Some good news reported in The Star. The Penang state government will broaden its consultation about the possible health risks of wi-fi. Wide consultation is a good idea. Such public consultation should take place before any major project is  launched. “The state government is ready to cancel and abandon the project if there is scientific proof to show that the health of the people will be adversely affected by the wireless network,” says Guan Eng. Fine. But what if studies point to significant health risks? When it comes to untested new technology and public health,  caution should be exercised – especially if we are not sure of the long-term effects. There is a difference between free wi-fi for the whole of Penang and say, mobile phones. In the former, the technology is thrust on the people, who do not have a choice. In contrast, in the case of mobile phones, people are free to choose whether or not to use them.
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Recalling the day Malaysians stirred from their slumber

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This is a new book by Kee Thuan Chye, published by Marshall Cavendish Editions, which is shooting up the best-sellers’ charts. (It was No. 2 on the MPH’s best-sellers’ list on 27 September – RPK’s birthday! – which seems appropriate as one of the highlights of the book is a lengthy interview with him.) It is a collectors’ item, for it captures the mood of the nation in the aftermath of the political tsunami that swept across the land on 8 March. Other highlights are interviews with Guan Eng, Zaid Ibrahim, Steven Gan and Husam Musa.
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JBJ is laid to rest; salute to an inspirational life

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Today, J B Jeyaretnam is laid to rest after a long struggle for democracy and human rights in Singapore. Looking back, we can now see what an inspirational life he led, his principles and idealism shining forth like a beacon. Hopefully, there will be others who will rise to accept the baton and continue the race. In years to come, the legend of JBJ will be narrated to future generations of Singaporeans, who will come to regard him as one of the island republic’s greatest heroes in the fight for democracy and freedom. Aliran President P Ramakrishnan has issued a moving media statement, paying tribute to this giant of a man.
Today Singaporeans will bid farewell to an iconic symbol of a fighting spirit that had stood up for democracy and human rights, paying every price that was extracted from him! We were saddened to learn of JB Jeyaretnam’s demise in the early hours of Tuesday, 30 September 2008. JBJ, as he was fondly referred to, succumbed to a heart attack, bringing to an end a life that reflected an indomitable spirit and a formidable fortitude that helped him to stay the course. Full statement

200 attend Abolish ISA vigil in Penang

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Ordinary Malaysians scrawl their signatures on the Abolish ISA banner

The Bishop of Penang (left) was among those who showed up

Some 200 concerned individuals turned up tonight in front of the Dewan Sri Pinang to attend the weekly candle-light vigil. The turnout was slightly lower than last week’s 300 perhaps because of the Raya holidays as some were still out of town. But there were a few ‘visitors’ from KL attending tonight’s vigil, taking advantage of the holidays to return to Penang. One of them remarked that the Penang police appeared to be more tolerant of these candlelight vigils compared to the cops in KL. Aliran’s Angeline Loh read out the names of the 66 ISA detainees and the duration of their detention as the crowd listened in silence. A huge ‘Mansuhkan ISA’ banner was placed on the ground and those present then scrawled their signatures to support the call for the repeal of the Act.
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Another candlelight vigil in Penang tonight

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Another Abolish ISA candlelight vigil today in front of Dewan Sri Pinang at 9.00pm. It is organised by Penang-based civil society groups belonging to the Abolish ISA Movement (GMI).

Syed Hamid gets fewer nominations – but wins

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Some of you may have missed this news item as it was just a small snippet in The Star: Syed Hamid has won the Kota Tinggi Umno division head post uncontested – after the membership of his opponent, who actually secured more nominations, was suspended by the Umno disciplinary committee. It was 23-21 nominations in his opponent’s favour.
Syed Hamid wins uncontested Compiled by V.P. SUJATA, LEE YUK PENG and A. RAMAN HOME Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar won the Kota Tinggi Umno division head post uncontested after his challenger A. Malek A. Rahman’s membership was suspended, reported Utusan Malaysia. Malek’s membership was suspended by the Umno disciplinary board chaired by Tengku Tan Sri Ahmad Rithaudeen Tengku Ismail for three years or one election term. Prior to the suspension, Malek received 23 nominations and Syed Hamid 21 for the division head post.
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An unforgettable Raya morning in Kamunting

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They came from all over to send their Raya greetings (Photos by Teh/Lim)

Marina received lots of flowers and cards for RPK

Eye-witness Peng shares his experience in Kamunting today:
We arrived around 11.06am. Singing was underway when I got there. I was excited to see many people who were there to show support. People were mingling around with intermitten shouts of “Free RPK, Free Hindraf Five” and “Mansuhkan ISA”. There was no heavy presence of police. Marina was there. It was good to see her smile amidst the challenges she’s facing. People, she needs all the support we can give. … I am glad that strangers could get together for a united cause. Today, I put a face to names that I know through blog comments. … It’s great to have met you all. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
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300 gather at Kamunting to convey Raya greetings

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If you visited Kamunting today, do share your citizen journalist eye-witness accounts in the comments below: Blog reader Rakyat@Work comments:
Way to go folks. Keep it up. Thank you all you great people. God bless all of you. Tell RPK that many more ‘reserve’ supporters (those like me who cannot make it for the trip) are still around. Don’t worry, we will continue to support and uphold him and family in prayer as well. Have fun. Cheers. Wish I was there.
1142: The crowd is singing ‘Negaraku‘ now before dispersing. They have lots of lots of flowers and cards outside the camp, but these are unlikely to reach the detainees. Another contact at the scene reports that the crowd earlier had sung two numbers, ‘We are Malaysians‘ (sung to the tune of ‘We are the world‘) and a ‘Selamat Hari Raya‘ song. “Everyone is so cheerful and glad to be here,” says my contact, adding that Marina was touched by the show of support. The turnout today is estimated to be in the region of 200 to 300.
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How will the Murum Dam affect Bakun?

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Bakun Dam nearing completion (Photo by Raymond Abin/IPS)

Even before they can make up their minds what to do with all the electricity to be generated by Bakun, they have already started preliminary work on the 944MW Murum Dam, which is just 60km upstream from Bakun. Remember, Sime Darby has pulled out from the project to lay undersea power cables to the peninsula.

About a thousand indigenous Penan will have to make way as their homes will be submerged by the Murum.

How will the Murum Dam, which will be constructed in the Bakun catchment area, affect the Bakun Dam?

These are some of the issues I looked at in writing this piece for IPS:

PENANG, Malaysia, Sep 27 (IPS) – Preliminary work on a 3 billion ringgit (875 million dollar) dam in Murum in the north Borneo state of Sarawak has put the spotlight on a controversial scheme to build a string of public-funded dams to provide cheap electricity for energy-intensive industries to the state.

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Encounters with JBJ in JB

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I hope all of you are having a good Raya break. But let us remember our Muslim brother undergoing detention without trial, in Kamunting or elsewhere. Read Farish Noor’s ‘Eidil Fitri in prison’ (Aliran) and Raja Petra’s ‘Give me liberty or give me death’ (Malaysia Today) from Kamunting. I wish all Muslim readers a joyous celebration with their loved ones and friends. Blog reader RastamanJB shares with us how as a stranger, he met and got to know the legendary J B Jeyaretnam:
I met him many times at the Kerala Reastaurant, Jalan Ibrahim, JB, and chatted with him about his WP. He was a man worth his salt. His steadfastness and righteousness was there for all to see. It is a shame that we do not have anyone, and I repeat anyone, on both sides of the border to match him. He was a very approachable person and talked to anyone who acknowledged him. A simple man, with his trade mark side-burns, collared T-shirts and short pants and sandals… popped into JB very often for his thosai and air suam.
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J B Jeyaretnam 1926-2008: Passing of a legend

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The legendary Singapore opposition icon, Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, better known as JBJ (photo credit: Wikipedia), passed away early this morning of heart failure. After having left the Workers Party, he had just formed the Reform Party to mount a new challenge to PAP dominance. He was the interim secretary general of the party. He was Singapore’s Mr Opposition, having broken the PAP’s 15-year monopoly in Parliament in the Anson by-election in 1981, winning 52 per cent of the votes to become Singapore’s first opposition MP.
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Trip to Kamunting to convey Raya greetings

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I have just been informed by the Bukit Bendera MP’s office that they, along with several Penang-based civil society activists, are planning a drive to the Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping on the second day of Raya to convey their greetings to the ISA detainees:
Flowers, cards and gifts, if any, will be passed on to Raja Petra and the other ISA detainees to let them know that they are not forgotten on this special day.  RPK’s wife Marina has been informed of the event and hope that she will also be able to join us. The Press will also be invited for this event. Details of travel: Date: Thursday, 2 October 2008 Meeting Place: DAP Bukit Bendera Service Centre, Wayton Court, Penang Meet at 9.00am
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End of an empire?

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For those enamoured by free markets and deregulation, the US experience makes for sobering reflection – although some argue that the Military-Industrial-Media Complex is hardly a model of free market economics. For some time now, market fundamentalists had preached that the government should have as little do as as possible in regulating business. Now, we see Wall Street being brought to its knees and turning to the US government to bail out failed financial institutions, the victims of their own unbridled greed. All this is the result of financial deregulation with little oversight. This is also what happens when the Occupation of Iraq meets financial deregulation, a wild credit bubble (cheap credit) and a colossal debt:
A shattering moment in America’s fall from power The global financial crisis will see the US falter in the same way the Soviet Union did when the Berlin Wall came down. The era of American dominance is over John Gray The Observer, Sunday September 28 2008 Our gaze might be on the markets melting down, but the upheaval we are experiencing is more than a financial crisis, however large. Here is a historic geopolitical shift, in which the balance of power in the world is being altered irrevocably. The era of American global leadership, reaching back to the Second World War, is over.
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Trams: Can Penang emulate The Netherlands?

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Trams glide along the narrow streets of Amsterdam (Photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Leidsestraat_Amsterdam.JPG) Blog reader Josh, a Penangite in the Netherlands, is impressed with the trams over there:
I fully support the re-introduction of trams in Penang. I am a Penangite now living in The Hague, The Netherlands. Trams are the main public transportation here in The Netherlands, be it in The Hague, Amsterdam or Rotterdam.
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RPK meets Marina in Kamunting on his birthday

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Marina was able to visit RPK on his birthday in Kamunting on Saturday, 27 September. Interesting that part of RPK’s rehabilitation (or is it punishment?!) involves reading the NST! 🙂 Here is another touching account of their encounter:
Happy 58th Birthday, Love Yesterday, 27 September 2008 was Pet’s Birthday. My two daughters’ and I were allowed the scheduled visit to see Pet at Kamunting on his 58th birthday. When we wished him Happy Birthday he had forgotten it was his birthday and we told him that we had brought along birthday cards hand-drawn by his two grandchildren, ages 5 and 6, one from Jia Wei age 7, one card signed by a few of his friends and also three books. We had to handover all the items with the prison authorities and they would only give it to him after inspection. I told him of the numerous emails, sms, calls, on the blogs and our sons in the UK also sent him Birthday wishes. This visit was also face to face and so I was holding on to his hands all along.
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No more projects on steep hillslopes in Penang: MPPP

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A small victory for People Power

The scary project

Some positive news from Chee Seng Garden in Tanjung Bunga, Penang, after the ‘miraculous’ flooding on hill-slopes (caused by hill-slope apartment/condo projects). The MPPP has said there will be no more projects on steep hillslopes. It’s a small victory of sorts for People Power over irresponsible developers. A resident George Aeria sends us an update:
Since the floods on 6 September, we met up with the MPPP Engineering Dept directors and the developers on the 10th, but their response was pathetic. Thus, we, the residents, pushed for a meeting with the MPPP YDP and we finally got it on 20 September. This meeting was a surprise to us as he acted as the role of residents’ champion and instructed all parties – both the developers, his MPPP Dept directors and all other government departments – to act responsibly and to resolve all issues at the housing estate. He even stated in the meeting that he would NOT approve any more hillslope developments above Class 4 slopes i.e. > 35 degrees.
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Over 60% of Gerakan members want to quit BN: Koh

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Looks like Gerakan has some tough decisions to make, if they are to survive as a party. This is what Koh Tsu Koon says here:
“If you go on sentiments alone, I would say more than 60% (want us to leave), but we are taking a lot of factors into consideration, and a decision cannot be based just on sentiments.
I believe one of the factors is the Gerakan reps with positions in government will probably lose their positions if they pull out. The choice for the party is simple: either return to its roots and embrace the reform agenda whole-heartedly (can it really do that within the Barisan and with the current party leadership?) or lose more and more of their members and disappear into oblivion.
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