Edge roasts 1MDB directors – but who are the real masterminds?
Many of these questions raised by the Edge have been asked before, but it is neat to have them all here, summarised in a few pages.
In some ways, the 1MDB saga was inevitable. A little snowball – a culture of lack of transparency and accountability to the public – was set in motion about three or four decades ago. Over the years, it gathered momentum, picking up scandals along the way, pummelling whistleblowers, sucking in the nation’s financial resources until finally bursting into the monster avalanche that is 1MDB today.
Standing room only for Mahathir talk at Ipoh hotel
Dr Mahathir has drawn a large crowd, many of them Umno members and opposition supporters, to an Ipoh hotel. They are listening attentively to what he has to say about 1MDB and the misuse of public funds.
Shrinking space for freedom
Have a look at this documentary by Aljazeera.
And check out Aliran’s Crackdown Watch list of those targeted by the authorities.
The wonders of Penang: From Sore Thumb to coastal park to marina-cum-land reclamation
Remember the Jelutong dump site? At one time, there were plans to create an urban park for the people. But now, PDC is requesting for proposals to redevelop the site, presumably for mixed development.
Similarly, over in Tanjung Bungah, the state government announced in 2010 the soft launch of a coastal park at the site now popularly known as the Sore Thumb, because it juts out into the sea following some (illegal?) development and reclamation work.
Johor property glut dampens frenzy
“In Johor alone, there are around 336,000 new private residential units in the pipeline – more than the total number of private homes in Singapore.” That is what a report in the Insider has highlighted.
Mysterious scaffolding on Botak Hill spotted
Perhaps the MBPP can explain what this scaffolding on Bukit Relau is all about.
The photo was taken by an alert nature enthusiast on 3 May 2015.
Najib under enormous pressure over 1MDB, Tabung Haji deal
How long can Najib last?
Everywhere you go, thanks to social media and instant messaging, the 1MDB scandal/Tabung Haji controversial land deal is on the lips of most people.
Permatang Pauh by-election: A quick analysis
Wan Azizah polled 58.0 per cent of the valid votes cast, compared with Anwar’s 59.2 percent at GE13. So that’s a little slide. If we include spoilt votes, then she polled 57.1 per cent compared to Anwar’s 58.6 per cent.
PKR expected to win despite lower turnout
This evening I spoke to a PKR strategist in Permatang Pauh and he predicts a reduced majority of about 8000-10000 though his party colleague with whom I spoke to earlier had said perhaps a majority of 5000. Anything above 10000 would be a bonus, I suppose, given the reduced turnout expected.
The party strategist said the major issues in this by-election are GST, the higher cost of living and corrupt political leaders.
GST, higher cost of living could determine Permatang Pauh by-election outcome
Just as in Rompin, the GST and the higher cost of living are likely to be uppermost among voters’ concerns in Permatang Pauh.
Live – BN wins with reduced majority in Rompin
Official result – BN 23796, Pas 14901 (Majority: 8895)
2011: Unofficial result – BN 22679 votes, Pas 14445 votes (Majority: 8234).
Pas votes have held steady – only a dip of 25 votes – despite the reduced turnout. But perhaps more people could have been encouraged to turn up and vote for Pas if Pakatan solidarity had been stronger and if it had not been for Pas’ hudud initiative.
This means in all likelihood, the GST and the higher cost of living has hurt the BN; it polled 6244 votes fewer this time compared with GE 13 and its share of the valid votes cast slumped from 66.8 per cent to 61.6 per cent. Pas’ share, meanwhile, has climbed from 33.2 per cent to 38.4 per cent, more likely due to unhappiness over GST rather than any enthusiasm for hudud. (Pas had used GST as a key issue in its campaign.)
The BN’s majority has dropped from 15114 at GE13 to 8895 this time, largely due to the 6300-odd voters who stayed away this time around. Call it the GST factor.
1950: BN 15144 votes Pas 9313 votes (Majority: 5831)
1931: BN 10610 votes Pas 6621 votes (Majority: 3989)
1917: BN 7034 votes Pas 4027 votes (Majority: 3007)
1856: BN 2489 votes, Pas 1373 votes (Majority: 1116)
The big question is … to what extent will GST hurt the BN’s performance and how will the hudud factor (and its impact on Pakatan solidarity) affect Pas’ performance? Mind you, this area is about 90 per cent Muslim.
Probably because of GST and hudud, turnout has dropped from 85.5 per cent (in GE13) to 73 per cent this time.
This means some 6300 people of the 45849 voters who cast their ballots in GE13 have stayed away this time.
In the 2013 general election, the BN won the Rompin seat with 66.8 per cent of the total votes cast. Pas polled 33.2 per cent of the votes.
In 2008, it was BN 66.7 per cent vs Pas 33.3 per cent of valid votes cast.
In 2004, BN 65.9 per cent vs Pas 34.1 per cent of valid votes cast.
So we can see, in the last few elections, the BN has polled two thirds of the votes and Pas a third.
My prediction is that Pas will lose votes, which means there is no great support for its hudud push, is there? But the BN too will lose votes as disenchanted voters might not be able to bring themselves to vote for the ruling coalition either, because of the GST and repressive laws.
Free Ambiga, Arul, Anthony Loke and all others detained
Latest:
- Ambiga, Arul, Anthony Loke and Dr Hatta have been released by the magistrate
- 23 youths were slapped with three-day remands
- Six under-age youths were remanded one day
- Hisham Rais has just been nabbed (under s143 unlawful assembly) by seven men
- Rafizi was asked to report to the police station
- Police are said to be looking for Fariz Musa
Live – Workers Day anti-GST rally
1400: Some 300 people already outside Pasar Seni for the Workers Day gathering. Many of them are wearing red anti-GST T-shirts or red Bantah GST stickers stuck to their shirts. Three uniformed police personnel have arrived.
What happened to urban park plan for Jelutong dump site?
As we have heard, PDC is requesting for proposals to redevelop the 53-acre Jelutong dump site. But a masterplan for IJM’s Light Waterfront project in Jelutong indicates that an urban park had been envisaged for the area.
Botak Hill: Transparency takes a knock
See Goh Ban Lee’s article in theSun here: Transparency takes a knock
ONE of the most frustrating things related to urban development in Malaysia is the lack of public knowledge of the approval of development projects by the government. The decisions to approve or reject applications to undertake development projects are held behind closed doors.
Jelutong dump site redevelopment plan ignores environmental, health risks
Penang has a Penang Science Council, the Penang Green Council and the MBPP. Then we have the Department of the Environment and the state government’s think-tank, Penang Institute.
Did the Penang Development Corporation consult any of them on the environmental implications before it came up with its request for proposals for the redevelopment of the Jelutong dump site, which would very likely see developers submitting plans for commercial and residential property development.
1MDB in a nutshell – according to Mahathir
There have been many reports about 1MDB but no one has put it in a nutshell like Mahathir, who cleverly summarises the 1MDB debt situation. Where did all that money end up?
Komtaresque towers: Tanjung Bungah residents submit 2000 protest signatures to Penang government
The Desa Embun Emas condominium residents council has submitted a signature petition bearing 1825 signatures to the Penang Chief Minister’s office.