Last-minute lawyer’s letter fails to block book launch

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The forum on non-sectarian politics at the book launch A last-minute letter from Gerakan politician Chia Loong Thye’s lawyers failed to stop the launch of a controversial new book on Gerakan by authors Neil Khor and Khoo Kay Peng at the E & O Hotel. The letter was sent to the authors during the book launch at the hotel. Issued by the legal firm Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill, it put the authors on notice that Chia would “claim for any aggravated damages that will arise from the launch of the book….” The book “Non-sectarian politics in Malaysia: The case of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia” had already ruffled the feathers of certain quarters within Gerakan even before the launch.

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Anwar drops a bombshell; opts for Permatang Pauh

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Anwar has decided to opt for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, probably after figuring out that the delay and uncertainty in neighbouring Kulim was going to be far too long.  Azizah is giving way for him, which is a pity because as president of PKR, which has the most parliamentary seats, she is the first woman Parliamentary Opposition Leader.
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Speak up, engage when Penang Local Plan is displayed

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All Penangites should look out for the draft Penang Local Plan when it is displayed before long and make their voices heard. The Local Plan will eventually govern the use of land in the state and determine what kind of development is allowed in your neighbourhood. The Plan is almost ready now though it may be slightly delayed, from what I hear. Penangites – especially residents associations – must ask their State Assembly members and city councillors to brief them about the Plan once it is released. Residents associations must use magnifying glasses to thoroughly pore over the Plan for their respective areas. Don’t let them slip anything past you. The public also needs to demand an extension in the duration of time that the Plan is publicly displayed to allow more time for study, briefings and feedback. Usually, the plans are displayed for a month – but more time is required.
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Anyone know a sodomy specialist?

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We learn something new everyday. Today’s lesson is that a qualified, experienced GP cannot detect if a patient has been sodomised. Apparently, if the Hospital Pusrawi folk are to be believed, that requires a sodomy specialist… err, I mean a gut specialist. This from the Malaysiakini interview:

What led the doctor TRO (to rule out) sodomy? Why?

Because Saiful mentioned that he was sodomised. Sodomy check-up has to be done by a specialist not a medical officer. You need a gut specialist. We don’t have one in Pusrawi.

At the rate we are being enlightened on this err, delicate issue, Malaysians are going to be sodomy experts in no time. Maybe we could be a world leader in sodomy medical research – you know, sort of carve out a specialist niche in sodomy detection and patient therapy. After all, it appears to have become a national obsession.
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Pas unhappy over Selangor but vows loyalty to Pakatan

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Pas-Umno talks a bargaining ploy to strengthen Pas’ hand in Pakatan? Going by the reports in the mainstream media, you would think that Umno and Pas are on the verge of merging.  Mustafa Anuar has a round-up of the coverage. The latest is a Star report:
PAS proposes hudud laws if it merges with Umno KOTA BARU: PAS will propose the implementation of hudud and qisas laws, among other things, if the proposed PAS-Umno merger becomes a reality. PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said the proposal was in line with Islamic principles and could be implemented if both parties, which were now having ongoing discussions on Malay and Muslim issues, agreed to it towards forming a new political entity.
But hang on a minute. Here’s the main story in Harakah Daily:
Cabaran perkongsian kuasa dalam pembentukan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Mohd Rashidi Hassan Wed | Jul 30, 08 | 12:54:03 pm MYT PAS tetap komited dengan Pakatan Rakyat. Itulah jaminan pemimpin-pemimpin PAS dan kehendak ahli serta penyokong PAS keseluruhannya. Harus diingatkan, bahawa pemimpin, ahli dan penyokong PAS memberikan kerjasama yang tidak berbelah bahagi sejak penubuhan Barisan Alternatif (BA) yang menggabungkan PAS, KeADILan, PRM dan DAP semasa al-Marhum Dato’ Fadzil Mohd Noor menjadi Presiden PAS lagi.
In other words, Pas leaders have guaranteed their commitment to Pakatan in accordance with the will of Pas members. They will not join the BN. But from the same Harakah report it appears they are unhappy over a string of issues, especially in relation to power-sharing in Selangor.
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Book on Gerakan stirs controversy – even before launch

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book on Gerakan A book on Gerakan by Neil Khor and Khoo Kay Peng has stirred controversy – even before it can be launched. “Non-sectarian politics in Malaysia: The case of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia” has already ruffled the feathers of certain quarters. Respected Gerakan stalwart Toh Kin Woon, a life member of the party and currently director of Seri, penned the foreword to the book. Writes Kin Woon:
…the authors of the book, explain how since joining the Barisan Nasional (BN), Gerakan has increasingly lost its multi-ethnic character. It is increasingly perceived by many outside the party to be just another Chinese-based party. This book describes that slow but near fatal process both for the party and for non-sectarian politics in the country.
The grave-vine has it that the book has already upset certain quarters within Gerakan, which is due to hold party elections in October. From what I hear, there have been attempts to throw a spanner in the works ahead of the book launch.
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“Oil Palm World Music Festival”: What rainforest?

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Those of you who checked out the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak on 13 July 2008 may have noticed a protest by about 60 indigenous people. They staged a peaceful 30-minute candle-light vigil demanding recognition of their land rights. Plainclothes police quickly moved in…. Click here to read more at the What Rainforest blog. The encroachment into native customary lands by oil palm plantation firms is a huge problem in Sarawak. This is after the lands have been logged. The displacement of natives deprives them of their livelihoods in the forests besides threatening the natural habitat. If you were there at the music festival, share with us what you saw of the protest.

Anwar to contest in Kulim: Pas assures full backing

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Anwar enters the hall in Kulim to a hero’s welcome

  • Anwar publicly announces he will contest in Kulim “barring obstacles”
  • 8,000-strong multi-ethnic crowd greets his announcement with thunderous applause
  • Hadi assures Anwar of Kedah Pas’ full backing
  • DAP to assist in campaign as well
Anwar Ibrahim was given a hero’s reception in Kulim, Kedah during an emotional night when he announced that he would contest a by-election here barring obstacles. In doing so, he has raised the stakes considerably.
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“Someone” is dam upset in Sarawak

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“Someone” appears to have had his feathers ruffled in Sarawak. Apparently, this “someone” in Sarawak is upset with “someone” in Penang – apparently an activist who has hit out at the 12 more dams in the pipeline in Sarawak. (Hmm, I wonder who that could be…) See: It’s madness: nuclear plan, 12 dams, undersea cables Anyway, this “someone” in Sarawak should be interested to know that it is not just one or two “someones” over here who think his dam-building frenzy sounds cuckoo. Only 2 per cent of you in a poll on this site (to which over 500 of you have responded so far) think that the plan for 12 more dams in Sarawak is just what Malaysia needs right now. In other words, 98 per cent of you seem to think the plan to increase capacity by 600 per cent “tak masuk akal” (doesn’t make sense).
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Speaker praises PKR back-bencher Sim’s speech

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PKR back-bencher Sim Tze Tzin (Batu Uban Pantai Jerejak) has delivered a visionary speech in the Penang State Assembly that received praise from the Speaker. Speaker Abdul Halim Hussain described Sim’s speech as people-centric, reports theSun today. Sim made several suggestions to promote sustainable urban development including those which this blog has been advocating:
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Floods in July: Ecological disaster in Sibu?

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Sarawak Voice sent in this comment which I thought I should highlight:
Talk about the dams in Sarawak? Hmm, apparently it seems that the government created an ecological disaster! My hometown is in Sibu, Sarawak (at the delta of the Mighty Rejang River) (and you) can clearly see the effects (of) logging, jungle clearing and hydro dam development up river. Once a clean river now muddy and the river is getting shallow due to the mud that was washed from upriver. Even now at this moment, as I am typing this, we are experiencing floods! Yeap, floods in the month of July….
Read the details in this piece from The Borneo Post:
Troubled waters Numerous efforts have been made to implement a flood mitigation plan for Sibu town but without any concrete follow-up action to date, residents complain they have been living in fear of floods whenever it rains for too long
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It’s madness: nuclear plant, 12 dams, undersea cables

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What on earth are our energy planners thinking of? First of all, we have 40 per cent reserve capacity in the peninsula. TNB is now paying capacity charges for electricity it buys from the independent power producers which it doesn’t need. Then, there is the plan to transmit a huge chunk of the electricity from the Bakun Dam from Sarawak over to the peninsula via undersea cables. But hold on, the submarine cables, which would be the world’s longest, would now cost RM15 billion. Alamak! So how? Sime Darby has already pulled out from the project.
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Superficial “populist gestures are like free meals”

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Ever since the new PR government took over Penang, we have seen several populist measures introduced. On the face of it, these measures appear good. Rather than squandering funds or handing them over to cronies, benefits in cash or kind are actually handed to the rakyat. So I agree, it is better than handing them over to the cronies. But I have a couple of reservations. These are one-off payments that don’t bring lasting benefit. They are also superficial – in that the sums handed over to each of the rakyat are too negligible to make much difference to their lives. It’s like handing bags of rice to the poor. Once the rice is finished, what then? It feels good to hand over goodies to the poor, but once we have handed over these goodies, which are used up in no time, what happens? We invariably forget about the poor – until the next occasion we start feeling generous and charitable again. Each allocation for superficial populist gestures carries with it an “opportunity cost” – which means it deprives the state of funds for more meaningful future projects that would really empower the poor. Such projects would include affordable housing for the poor, scholarships for poor students, affordable higher education, access to affordable quality health care, literacy programmes, skills training and loans for small businesses.
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You got to hand it to him…

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If you are feeling down and out and if you think your problems are insurmountable, let Tony Melendez inspire you.

Anwar locked in a battle of wills

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This is something I wrote today: POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Opposition leader unfazed by new sodomy charges Analysis by Anil Netto PENANG, Jul 22 (IPS) – Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s de facto opposition leader, is locked in a political battle of wills with ruling coalition leaders and determined to wrest federal control despite fresh charges of sodomy brought up against him. Anwar hopes that parliamentary defections from the ruling Barisan Nasional (National Alliance) will enable the three-party opposition People’s Alliance to seize power by Sep.16 — but so far there has been little to show. For the full article, click here. Here are a few other articles you might find relevant or interesting: In ‘Conquering and vulnerable: Anwar’s predicament and ours’, Khoo Boo Teik looks at how Anwar has come to personify many dissident, even conflicting tendencies. His two different images – that of a conquering political leader and frequently disabled politician – capture society’s current predicament. We have moved towards more open dissent; and yet we are unsure if we can really achieve a more open political system. One article that has struck a chord among many Malaysians – judging by how widely it is being circulated on the Internet, including on Facebook – is Farish Noor’s ‘The boring yet necessary thing called Governance’. Finally, Dr Chris Anthony, a practising surgeon, takes a look at whether proper procedure was followed during Anwar’s medical examination in “Was Anwar stripped and measured?”

Home Ministry warns Herald to stick to “religion”

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herald cover The Herald has highlighted current events and related them to faith The latest issue of the Herald (20 July), the Catholic weekly, carries a little note below its editorial, which I reproduce here:
NOTE Warning letter from Home Ministry The Ministry of Home Affairs has warned us to work within their designated term and category “agama”. Their warning letter fails to indicate what they mean by “agama”. Can HERALD stop ‘awakening the consciences’ as the Pope teaches us? Are they interfering in matters that pertain to our religion?
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Enthusiastic response for Anwar in BN-stronghold Johor

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This was Anwar’s ceramah on 20 July 2008 in Sri Gading, Johor. Anwar is in his element and the crowd soaks it in. He claims that when he was brought from the police station to the hospital, the roads were closed to others. He tells the crowd not to read Utusan Malaysia as he says their reports allegedly insult the intelligence of the Malays; instead he recommends that they read the Chinese newspapers. “I know you can’t understand the language, but there are lots of pictures in them!” he jokes.
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Puspakom gets additional concession, 15-yr extension

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Puspakom, the entity which inspects vehicles for road-worthiness, has been granted a 15-year extension of its concession by the government. That’s not all. The government has also agreed to revise the company’s rates and to award it another concession for the mandatory inspection of second-hand vehicles prior to transfer of ownership. The Edge business weekly has expressed concern about the 15-year extension. The paper said the government should have reviewed Puspakom’s track record in carrying out inspections since 1994 -and considered some of the bad press it has received – before granting the extension. The government will only review the company’s performance at five-year intervals. Puspakom made a net profit of RM18 million from turnover of RM76 million for its 2007 financial year. By the time the government reviews its performance in five years’ time, the company could have raked in a further RM90 million or so, The Edge noted.
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Putting the RM2b Penang Sentral cart before the horse

Anil Netto
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Penang Sentral RM2 billion terminal – but not enough funds for public transport (Image from penangsentral.com.my)

So we are going to have a montrous RM2 billion terminal in Butterworth that is supposed to be the gateway to Penang.

This project is supposed to be located on a 12.8ha site “at the existing Butterworth train, bus and ferry terminal and will integrate KTM’s rail services, road transport facilities and the ferry services operated by Penang Port”. It’s going to be a big money project for Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) and Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputra Berhad (PHBB). Last year, The Star reported that “it would have two ferry platforms, two monorail platforms, four train platforms, 50 bus platforms and 4,000 parking bays”. Oops, no federal money for monorail – or trams for that matter – now. It’s pathetic that the state has to celebrate because the federal government has approved RM40 million to revive the broken down Penang Hill railway. (Under the Penang Hill project, a new one-stretch cable railway track will be laid between the lower and upper stations, doing away with the present middle station, reports Malaysiakini. The rail track will be laid to accommodate larger and longer funicular trains.)
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Why not reveal Saiful’s police report?

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Aliran president P Ramakrishnan has come up with an apt response to Syed Hamid Albar’s statement. He is asking the Minister why Saiful’s police report has not been revealed to Anwar. Why is it so difficult to show Anwar the report? Good question.
What is Syed Hamid Albar afraid of? In a rhetorical stance, the Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar posed this question to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, “What is he afraid of?” Aliran would like to pose this very question to Syed Hamid, “What is he afraid of?” Why are they afraid to release the police report lodged by Mohd Saiful Bukari Azlan against Anwar Ibrahim on 28 June alleging sodomy? Full statement
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