Caped campaigner Mahathir addresses Tian Chua vigil, calls for ‘change of government’
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Mahathir speaking at a solidarity vigil for Tian Chua outside the latter’s office along Jalan Sentul in KL on 7 October 2017.
First, storm lashes Pas assembly; now lightning disrupts major Pas gathering
Just five months after a thunderstorm wreaked havoc at a Pas annual assembly in Alor Star, lightning struck during a ceramah at a major Pas gathering, ‘Fastaqim 2.0’, in Pantai Tok Jembal, Kuala Nerus in Terengganu on 29 September.
Art from the periphery – an antidote to materialistic capitalism
A Mixed Group Exhibition is being held at the Hin Bus Depot Art Centre along Jalan Gurdwara in Penang until 10 October.
Enchanting lights illuminate the night during cancer awareness-raising event
Over a thousand people gathered at USM last night for the launch of the Relay for Life in Penang to support raising awareness of the fight against cancer.
The changing face of the Tanjung Tokong coastline
This is the changing face of Penang Island along the northeastern coastline off Tanjung Tokong – part of phase 2 of the Seri Tanjung Pinang project undertaken by E & 0.
Safe cycling lanes: If Vancouver can do it….
Notice that these are dedicated – and protected – bicycle lanes. Protected bicycle lanes are probably what it would take to enhance public confidence in the safety of cycling in places like Penang, KL, Ipoh and JB.
3,000-strong crowd lap up Mahathir’s address in Kuching
A crowd of 3,000 turned up at the BDC Everise Supermarket car-park to listen to Mahathir’s long-awaited ceramah in Kuching.
Pas in dreamland?
So Pas wants to contest in 100 seats, with the goal of winning 40 seats. Pas secretary general Takiyuddin Hassan says the party has a better chance in urban areas due to what he thinks is growing acceptance by urban residents.
Well, he is entitled to his opinion. But I think he is being overoptimistic or maybe even dreaming.
The main reason Pas did well in urban areas was that it was part of an opposition coalition at a time when many urban folk rejected the BN.
This time around, the party may say it is not tied to any coalition – which many will find hard to swallow. Certainly Pas has a perception problem: many already view the party as friendly with or aligned to the BN. If that is the case, three questions arise:
- Will urban voters really back them this times around – when many are already disgruntled with the BN and now wary of Pas’ conservative streak ie focusing on issues of personal morality while seemingly overlooking the critical issues facing the nation?
- If Pas is involved in three-cornered contests, how realistic is Takiyuddin’s goal of winning 40 seats, especially when many urban voter will see the as party as ‘spoilers’?
- Will it end up being a regional party again confined to the East Coast?
Has Pakatan done enough to persuade rural voters to ditch Umno?
Most people realise that the only way Pakatan Harapan can reach Putrajaya is if there is a swing among rural voters – and voters in Sabah and Sarawak – from Umno-BN-Pas to the opposition.
Make climate change the basis for Penang Structure Plan review
It seems that Penangites these days feel jittery every time it threatens to rain. Will there be floods and landslides this time, they wonder – as they did just yesterday.
Beer fest ban a stark contrast to free beers during 2013 election campaign in Penang
I was puzzled to read about the ban on the Better Beer Festival in KL next month, which has now become world news just a week after the prime minister urged Trump to support moderate and progressive governments around the world.
Pulau Jerejak, Sungai Buloh leprosy centre in joint proposal for Unesco listing?
The National Heritage Department (JWN) is understood to have proposed to the Penang state government that Pulau Jerejak be included with the National Leprosy Control Centre in Sungai Buloh, Selangor as joint candidates for Unesco world heritage site listing.
Pertimbangkan semula projek jalan berkembar persisir pantai utara Pulau Pinang
This statement has just been released by Penang Forum. It is especially relevant in the light of the widespread floods in Penang today, some of them having their origins in degraded hill slopes.
[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW] Pada 2 September 2017 Persatuan Penduduk Tanjung Bungah (TBRA) telah mengadakan sidang media untuk menyuarakan kebimbangan dan bantahan kepada cadangan Jalan Berkembar Persisir Pantai (NCPR) yang dianggarkan akan menelan jumlah RM1bn atau RM100 juta setiap kilometer.
Penang floods: Stop further hill and tree cutting and over development
The worst flood to hit Penang in recent years – and climate change means worse is yet to come. This statement by a couple of Penang NGOs:
Sahabat Alam Malaysia and the Consumers’ Association of Penang are alarmed by the massive flash floods that hit Penang both on the island and the mainland following intense downpours throughout the early morning of Friday, 15 September 2017.
Penang floods: The price of out-of-control, irresponsible development
Penangites woke up this morning to a deluge of images of flash floods around the state which will surely haunt those who have approved developments projects that have concretised much of the state including its hill-slopes.
So Najib wants to help the US$19tn US economy with Malaysian funds?
It is ludicrous to hear that Prime Minister Najib Razak wants to pump more Malaysian money into US infrastructure and Boeing planes to boost the US economy, which has a GDP of US$19 trillion. He should first handle the serious structural problems facing the Malaysian economy (GDP US$296bn).
One of the major structural problems lies in the housing sector. Reports indicate the property market in Malaysia is slowing down. And yet many buyers are still unable to secure bank loans to buy homes, many of which are priced beyond their reach.
This has prompted Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Noh Omar to come up with a ‘bright idea’. He reportedly announced that property developers could apply for moneylending licences! According to the Edge, the Moneylenders Act 1951 does not have any provision to restrict developers from applying for such licences.
But everyone knows that the real issue is not that the banks don’t want to approve housing loans.
There are two real and related problems.
Full article in Aliran website
Trump-Najib meeting: What’s in it for Malaysia?
Let’s look at some of the key points that surfaced:
- Malaysia committed to buy 33 Boeing planes and probably 25 more in a US$10-20bn deal over the next five years.
- Malaysian government to try and persuade Air Asia to buy General Electric engines. (Isn’t that their own business decision?)
- EPF already has US$7bn in the US; to pump in another US$3-4bn there for US infrastructure development.
- Khazanah to increase investments in the US.
- Malaysia has stopped dealings with North Korea (What were we doing with them in the first place?)
- Malaysia to crack down hard on extremist groups.
Trump has come under fire for declining to divest of his interest in the hotel, which is now managed by his sons, creating opportunities for foreign governments and special interests to enrich the president while also seeking changes to U.S. policy, in Najib’s case within a few minutes’ time.
Remarks by President Trump and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak of Malaysia before bilateral meeting
Cabinet Room 12:11 P.M. EDT PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. It’s great to have the Prime Minister of Malaysia and his very distinguished delegation with us today. We’re talking about trade — very large trade deals. We’re working on one deal where between 10 and 20 billion dollars’ worth of Boeing jets are going to be purchased, General Electric engines will be purchased, and many other things. Also, Malaysia is a massive investor in the United States in the form of stocks and bonds, and the stock exchange. And they have to be very happy because we’re hitting new highs on almost a weekly basis. And so we’re very proud of our stock market and what’s happened since I became President. So I congratulate you on those investments. But I just want to say, it’s an honor to have you here. It’s an honor to have your delegation with us. I believe you’ll be at the United Nations next week, and a lot of folks are going to be at the United Nations next week. It should be an exciting week, and we look very much forward to that. But I want to thank you very much for all of the investment you’ve made in the United States. Also, the Prime Minister has a major role in not allowing ISIS — or, as you say, Daesh — and others to exist. And he’s been very, very strong on terrorism in Malaysia, and a great supporter from that standpoint. So that’s a very important thing to the United States. He does not do business with North Korea any longer, and we find that to be very important. We had a vote yesterday on sanctions. We think it’s just another very small step — not a big deal. Rex and I were just discussing — not big. I don’t know if it has any impact, but certainly it was nice to get a 15-to-nothing vote. But those sanctions are nothing compared to what ultimately will have to happen. So thank you everyone for being here, and we appreciate it. Mr. Prime Minister, it’s a great honor to have you in the United States and in the White House. And thank you everyone for being here. Thank you very much. Thank you. Would you like to say something? PRIME MINISTER RAZAK: Thank you very much, Mr. President, for your invitation for me and members of my delegation to meet with you at the White House. I want to say that we come here with a strong value proposition to put on the table. Number one, we want to help you in terms of strengthening the U.S. economy. I come with three specific proposals. Number one, we intend to increase the number of Boeing planes to be purchased by MAS. We are committed to 25 planes of the 737 MAX 10, plus eight 787 Dreamliners. And there is a strong probability — not possibility – probability that we will add 25 more 737 MAX 10 in the near future. So within five years, the deal will be worth beyond $10 billion. That’s one. We will also try to persuade AirAsia to purchase GE engines. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Great. PRIME MINISTER RAZAK: Secondly, we have Employees Provident Fund, which is a major pension fund in Malaysia. They’ve got quite a big sum of capital to be exported. They have invested close to $7 billion, in terms of equity, in the United States. And they intend to invest three to four additional billion dollars to support your infrastructure redevelopment in the United States. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Great. PRIME MINISTER RAZAK: And thirdly, our sovereign fund, Khazanah, they have an office in Silicon Valley. They have invested about $400 million, in terms of high-tech companies, and they intend to increase that investment as well. Secondly, the other goal of your administration, Mr. President, which is to make the United States safe — and with that, the world safe — we are committed to fight Daesh, IS, Al-Qaeda, Abu Sayyaf — you name it. They are the enemy of the United States, they are also the enemy of Malaysia, and we will do our part to make sure that our part of the world is safe. We will also contribute in terms of the ideological warfare because you need to win the hearts and minds. And the key to it is to support moderate and progressive Muslim regimes and governments around the world, because that is the true face of Islam; that is the authentic face of Islam. The more you align with progressive and moderate regimes, the better it would be in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Right. PRIME MINISTER RAZAK: So, Mr. President, thank you once again. The United States has always been our partner for a long, long time. And this year is our 60th anniversary of our relationship, and I hope that today’s meeting will make it even stronger in the years to come. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Source: White HouseNajib has Trump meeting – but dignified Siti Hasmah could be opposition’s trump card
While her spouse Dr Mahathir Mohamad was no stranger to controversy and criticism during his 22 years in power, Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali herself always projected a sense of quiet dignity which perhaps was only appreciated in hindsight.
Lembah Permai-Seri Tanjung Pinang viaduct not in paired road EIA, says TBRA
Such a viaduct is bound to have serious implications both socially and environmentally, which should also have been considered in the assessment, says the Tanjung Bungah Residents Association. Furthermore, the environmental impact assessment for the paired road did not reveal all the alternatives that were considered by the state government, which is a major flaw. Were all alternatives and their cost-benefit analyses (including environmental costs) really considered?
Singapore firm’s prospectus reveals string of George Town properties it has snapped up
A prospectus by Singapore’s World Class Global Ltd reveals just how many George Town shoplots and other properties it has snapped up.