WSJ stands by its report; Najib must explain
Meanwhile check out the Aliran media statement by P Ramakrishnan and another statement by the Aliran ExCo asking Najib to either take legal action against Sarawak Report and WSJ immediately or step down now.
When stuff hits the fan
Uproar over social media. All the reading for today:
Sarawak Report: SENSATIONAL FINDINGS! – Prime Minister Najib Razak’s personal accounts linked to 1MDB money trail
Wall Street Journal: Investigators believe money flowed to Malaysian leader Najib’s accounts amid 1MBD probe
Asia Sentinel: Could this be the Smoking Gun for Malaysia’s PM?
Global oil price drops but pump prices up 10-20 sen
The wonders of our float system as our pump prices go up even as the global oil price in an oversupplied market hits a three-week low. How is this possible?
Poll: What is your monthly household income?
From our last poll, it appears that almost 60 per cent of you felt that affordable housing would be any home priced up to RM240000 rather than RM400000. (Mind you, this would be what is affordable to the middle class rather than the low-income group, who would struggle to buy even a RM72000 home.)
This figure of RM240000 also tallies with a Penang Institute researcher’s opinion that the price of an affordable home should be between RM180,000 and RM240,000, three to four times the average household yearly income (based on about RM5000 per month in 2012), in line with the international yardstick for what constitutes an affordable price for a home.
Is that why there is a glut in ‘affordable housing’? (Because many would be unable to afford housing from RM240000 to RM400000.)
Let’s do another poll of monthly household income (husband and wife’s combined income only) and see if that supports the finding in the earlier poll and compare the outcome to the eligibility criteria of income thresholds for ‘affordable housing’ as laid out by the state government. But bear in mind that based on the demographic profile of readers of this blog, the poll result would probably be skewed towards the incomes of the middle- to upper-middle class strata of the population.
Poll: What would you consider to be ‘affordable’ housing?
Ten questions that remain unanswered by Thai arrest of PetroSaudi IT exec
The publicity surrounding the arrest of a PetroSaudi IT executive smacks of a public relations exercise intended to divert attention from the major questions surrounding 1MDB.
Ranau earthquake-generating fault line was highlighted years ago
We shouldn’t have been too surprised by the recent earthquake and tremors in Sabah. There had been ample warning of the prevalence of earthquake faults in the state, and our rescue services have no reason to be unprepared.
The former director of the Minerals and Geosciences Department Sabah, Alexander Yan, had warned, apparently in 2010, that several previously identified active or potentially active faults were confirmed as earthquake-generating faults. He pointed out that “these faults are to be found in the Ranau area within the Central-North Seismic Zone of Sabah, as well as in the Dent-Semporna Peninsula Zone.”
Has government debt exceeded the 55 per cent ceiling?
What does Greece have in common with Malaysia? The 2004 European football champions just got beaten 2-1 by the “fishermen, road constructors and carpenters” from the Faroe Islands, minnows in world football.
1MDB scandal: Financial institutions have serious explaining to do
The financial institutions that arranged the massive loans for 1MDB have to answer some tough questions.
‘No one came to help us’: Kinabalu mountain guides
While everyone rightfully pays tribute to the heroic mountain guides who rescued stranded climbers following the earthquake that hit Mount Kinabalu, an inquiry must be held to determine the reason for the delay in the official search-and-rescue efforts.
Pope Francis just made four new enemies
Four groups of people are likely to be shifting uncomfortably in their seats after Francis, the Bishop of Rome, released his much-anticipated encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si (on Care for our Common Home).
Rare solar halo appears at Oscar Romero’s beatification (Video)
Something unusual happened at the ceremony to put Oscar Romero, the slain Archbishop of San Salvador, on the path to official recognition as a saint.
Bung Mokhtar blows his top
Is this parliamentary behaviour? Or is this intended to divert our attention from the nation’s troubles?
Hadi’s private member’s Bill listed in Parliament Order Paper today: MP
Is this Umno’s knockout punch for Pakatan Rakyat? But then Pakatan Rakyat is already lying sprawled on the canvas, after it “ceased to exist” yesterday. So is this a blow after the bell has rung and the towel thrown in?
Pakatan Rakyat no longer exists; what now?
What should be the path forward now for those who aspire for meaningful and real change? Could we have your views, please.
Poll: What do you think the Pas ‘progressives’ should do now?
Now that Pas’ future in Pakatan is in doubt, what do you think the Pas progressives who were defeated in the Pas elections should do?
Not just the ferries; hand over Penang Bridge, Penang port, RapidPenang to state government
This was the sign at the Butterworth ferry service after 3.00pm on a weekday, last year. Most of the time, only one to four ferries are in service. At nights, even during school holidays and weekends, only one ferry after 10.00pm!
Last year, I blogged about the ferry service, complaining about the delays and the slashing of the number of ferries. I also tweeted a lot about the poor service.
Now, the federal government has asked the Penang state government to submit a detailed proposal before it hands over the recently privatised ferry service to the Penang state government.