See Goh Ban Lee’s article in theSun here: Transparency takes a knockONE 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.
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.
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?
tunglang sent in the following description of a nocturnal stroll around the George Town heritage core zone.Last Saturday night, I went for a walk in the heritage zone of George Town.
In a bid to counter the negative vibes generated by the forcible removal of a cross from the Beacon of Hope Church in Taman Medan by a group of 50 protesters last week, a group of well-wishers today distributed flowers to representatives of the church and people of various faiths in the vicinity.
A group of prominent Penang-based NGOs is formally inviting the BN and Pakatan candidates contesting in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election to a public debate on key national issues affecting the people.
The candidate for PKR is about to be announced at 11.30pm. Will it be Wan Azizah, as widely expected, who would probably put the spotlight on Anwar’s plight?
This is what Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali had to say yesterday in response to a mob forcing a church in a shoplot in Taman Medan to remove the cross from its building:
Switzerland tops the global happiness chart followed by a string of Scandinavian nations while the most unhappy nations are Togo, Burundi and Syria. Malaysia came out 61st.
Penang Forum has just released a statement regarding the rezoning of Bukit Relau to residential use.Botak Hill rezoning: What happened to CAT?The Penang Forum Steering Committee is dismayed to read press reports on 19 April 2015 which confirmed that the Penang state government had quietly rezoned hill land in Bukit Relau for residential development in December 2012.
The PDC is inviting ‘requests for proposals’ for the “safe rehabilitation, development of the Jelutong dumpsite and propose new disposal site for construction and demolition waste and marine clay”.
Opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is growing as people in affected countries express their disquiet.Within Malaysia, I don’t think there has been enough media coverage and political debate on this huge trade pact, which is going to have far-reaching implications. Obama is anxious to get Malaysia and the countries in this region to sign on the dotted line, and that could be why he was being so ‘pal-ly’ with Najib, going on a charm offensive over golf.So Nurul Izzah’s piece below serves as a timely reminder of what is at stake:
The following letter was sent by Renji Sathiah, the Tanjung Bungah Residents Association chairperson, to the Penang Island City Council mayor and copied to the Penang JKR director:
More and more people are expressing disquiet over the model of development being pursued in Penang. From north to south of the island the voices are growing louder.Even property prices on the mainland are soaring – and this before the tunnel work has even started. Double- and even single-storey houses in Bagan Ajam in Butterworth, close to the site of the proposed tunnel, are going for RM600,000-700,000, whereas only about three years ago, they were were about half that level.
Never mind the United States and Singapore. Look at how the ringgit is faring against the baht in post-coup Thailand.We are even slipping against the Indonesian Rupiah of late. Where are we heading?
There’s still a bit of uncertainty over PKR’s choice of candidate for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election. Party strategists are understood to be looking for the most ‘winnable’ candidate.What do you think?
Should the RM27bn Penang Transport Masterplan be renamed? Because it looks increasingly as if the planned improvement in the transport infrastructure in the state will bring with it massive land reclamation and (mainly high-end?) property development.
