A crowded hospital, the Panama Papers and squandered public funds
The other day, I visited a relative in a general hospital.
I was shocked to see how crammed the conditions are. In the ward section he was in, as well as in other nearby sections, a space originally meant for three beds on either side now had five beds on each of the two sides.
Appeals Board stays City of Dreams project: Spanner in the (tunnel) works?
This has thrown a spanner into the works of the tunnel, hasn’t it. The Appeals Board has granted residents of Seri Tanjung Pinang residents a stay order on the planning permission for the City of Dreams project, which comprises two 39-storey luxury condominium blocks.
Street-level light rail cheaper than monorail or elevated LRT
The infrastructure cost for street-level light rail vehicles (or new generation trams) is much lower than the monorail and elevated light rail transit options put forward in the revised transport masterplan for Penang.
Botak Hill: Court dismisses defamation suit against Teh Yee Cheu
Yesterday the Penang High Court dismissed a defamation suit against Tanjung Bungah rep Teh Yee Cheu over his remarks when he shaved his head in protest at the illegal hill-top clearing at Bukit Relau.
Why Najib cannot escape responsibility for 1MDB debacle
Page 14 of the PAC report above clearly indicates why it would be difficult to absolve the prime minister for whatever 1MDB has done.
Video: Opposition MPs march in solidarity with detained Rafizi Ramli
Opposition MPs this morning marched from Parliament to Bukit Aman police headquarters to protest the arrest of Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli under the Official Secrets Act. Rafizi was remanded for three days yesterday.
Why street-level light rail would be a better option for Penang
We do need a transit system from George Town to the airport but not in the way the Penang transport masterplan envisages.
Video: Look who’s here! Mahathir addresses anti-GST rally
He’s turning out to be quite the seasoned protester, isn’t he? Flanked by Mat Sabu and Tian Chua, Mahathir urged some 2,000 anti-GST protesters to sign the Citizens’ Declaration.
Look who else showed up (see below):
Early Indian references to Kedah
I visited the fascinating though little known Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum in Merbok nestled on higher ground in the foothills of the Kedah peak, surrounded by paddy fields that had turned brown in the scorching heat.
Live: People’s Congress
Share your thoughts on the Citizens’ Declaration and the People’s Congress. Will it really make a difference?
Poll: Should news portals and blogs be forced to register with the authorities?
The Communications and Multimedia Ministry has sent to the attorney general’s chambers a proposal to amend the law so that news portals and blogs (apparently aimed at political or news blogs) will be forced to register with the government.
This appears to be a thinly disguised attempt to restrict or control the space for freedom of expression against the backdrop of the recent exposes of major corruption or financial scandals and the blocking of several critical websites. What do you think?
Public vilification of Dr Lim Mah Hui: Penang Forum responds
The Penang Forum steering committee has just released this media statement, which speaks for itself:
Penang Forum is extremely disappointed by the recent personal attacks against civil society city councillor Dr Lim Mah Hui with the highly disparaging press statement from Chief Minister of Penang YAB Lim Guan Eng on 12 March 2016.
MBPP tow trucks: Let the people judge what the truth is
MBPP Councillor Dr Lim Mah Hui has denied accusations that he was lying about the number of illegally parked cars towed away by council enforcement teams. He has released statements in Malay, English and Chinese, which can be found below:
Face-to-face with my scrapbook hero, Tan Aik Huang
When I was a kid, my ambition was to become an All-England badminton champ. Sadly, I never made it past the older guys to become local street champ, and my budding badminton career soon faded. But coming face-to-face with my boyhood scrapbook hero, Tan Aik Huang, 1966 All-England champ and 1967 Thomas Cup winner, has more than made up for my unfulfilled dream.
Keeping alive the ‘compensation’ bogey…
You would have thought that law professor Gurdial Singh’s statement and Penang Appeals Board chairman Yeo Yang Poh’s remarks would have been enough to lay to rest the Ghost of Compensation Present.
Tow-trucks: Mah Hui responds to Penang CM, MBPP mayor
MBPP councillor Dr Lim Mah Hui has just released this open letter to the chief minister of Penang, the MBPP mayor and the MBPP secretary:
Detained Australian journalist had questioned PI Bala’s widow at PC
Video footage has emerged that one of the two detained ABC journalists, Linton Besser, had asked probing questions at the press conference by PI Bala’s widow Santamil Selvi.
Another majestic tree chopped down in Penang
On a weekend this time. This tree along Jalan Lembah Permai is the latest to be chopped down.
This is what it looked like before:
What is the maximum density allowed in Penang now?
Some time in 2010, a public uproar erupted when it was quietly revealed that the maximum density would be raised to 87 homes per acre from 15-30 per acre previously.
Quashing the ‘compensation’ bogey
There has been a lot of scaremongering about the state government or local authorities having to pay compensation if its decisions are overturned in certain circumstances. Gurdial’s excellent piece below should go a long way in dispelling such talk.