[English version below] Hi semua, kami ingin menjemput anda semua ke tayangan filem Mission Blue, anjuran Kuasa bersama Aliran pada Sabtu, 25 Februari 2017 pada jam 2.30 tengah hari di Rumah Aliran.
Mind you, this is without any obstacles, roadblocks or threats of arrest. (And so can have a fair idea of how many people Pas could contribute to a Bersih rally.) This is more or less the number of supporters Pas could pack into a stadium in say, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Indeed, the numbers appear well short of Hadi’s prediction of a 200,000 turnout – and it is hardly a ringing nationwide endorsement of his bill. My good friend, Tasik Gelugor Pas information chief Abdul Rahman Kasim, was more guarded, forecasting 100,000 ahead of the rally. As friends, we have had frank exchanges – and strong differences of views – over whether Hadi’s bill is suitable for a diverse, multireligious society like ours. But no hard feelings.
Meanwhile, some 200 gathered for the Bebas counter rally at Taman Jaya. Among those addressing the crowd was Haris Ibrahim.
Deja vu… Back in 2012, when the maximum density was increased from 30 homes per acre to 87 per acre, we were told that this would encourage developer to build more affordable homes. Did that happen? You tell me.
No mention of theme parks, shoppping malls, sky walks, cable cars, 18-hole golf resorts – some of the things that the state government believes will draw more tourists to Penang.
Instead, the CNN write-up focuses on the arts, culture, underground music, an indigenous plant, artisans, unique religious festivals and Balik Pulau’s natural charm.
Strange malleable rocks surfaced at Tanjung Bungah beach a couple of weeks ago. These videos were taken by a concerned visitor, Andrea Briglia, on 28 January at around 6pm.
One theory is that these could be balls of marine clay, material from the bottom of the sea found along the West Coast of the peninsula. These could have been dislodged when sand on the surface of the sea bed was sucked out – or something else could have stirred it out to the surface.
Another theory is that the mud balls are the result of land reclamation which has been going on in a big way since the 1990s. Reclamation material is a mixture of sand and mud, which is then deposited at the bottom of the sea nearby.
Any other theories out there?
More cutting of hill slopes… above photo taken yesterday.
And do you know what else is happening over at the Turf Club? Penangites saved the greenery from the horrendous Penang Global City Centre project in 2007-2008 – only to end up with this:
The Penang Hills Watch (PHW) initiative of Penang Forum (PF) has submitted its maiden report on hill-clearing cases in Penang to the state government. The report, submitted on 2 January 2017, covers cases and complaints that PHW has tracked over the past few months.
Umno has something to think about – and it is not yet even the election campaign. This was the scene in the Jerantut and Maran area tonight at a ceramah focusing on what ails Felda. Despite Mahathir not being around, more than 2,000 people turned up to listen to other Bersatu and opposition speakers.
One of the reasons why I am against the SRS proposals for Penang transport infrastructure is the literally over-the-top plan for an RM8bn 19.5km north-south highway that will actually cross over the Penang Hill railway. This idea could have come straight out of Fantasy Island.
Ah, population. Much of our development planning for housing and mobility including transport infrastructure hinges on what we expect our future population to be.
China is reportedly clamping down on underground banks through which its citizens are sending money to buy homes abroad in places like Australia, creating havoc in some overseas property markets.
Something is afoot at Pulau Jerejak. The local government must explain what is going on. Has any development plan been approved? If not, who has built this contraption next to the old resort jetty and for what purpose? Is this part of the work to build a new jetty for handling building materials? It looks as if they are surveying the soil on the sea bed to assess its conditions?
A flotilla of about 150 fishing boats with about 500 on board has converged off the coast of Tanjung Tokong to protest against the inadequate compensation for land reclamation off Tanjung Tokong in Penang. The reclamation has jeopardised the livelihoods of the fishing community here and threatens to further undermine food security in the state.
Photograph: Neil Bennett
It looks as if the lure of profits has crept into the paradise of Bali. In south Bali, a developer wants to reclaim 1,730 acres and create artificial islets under a US$3bn luxury resort development that would cover half of Benoa Bay – an area that had conservation status until it was overturned in 2014 for so-called “revitalisation”.
This has spawned a ‘Tolak Reklamasi’ protest movement – and tens of thousands of angry Balinese have protested against the project.
I attended the 8 December briefing on the review of the Penang Structure Plan at Komtar, and it was immediately apparent that there are serious questions that need to be answered.
Those of you in Penang, please try and take an interest and participate to prevent any unsustainable development.
As the deadline for public feedback is end-January, Penang Forum has come up with the following statement requesting an extension. Most people are not even aware this review is taking place, that is if they even know that the Penang Structure Plan exists.
