Never mind the provocative ‘Allah’ banners in several churches in Penang put up overnight by a ‘dirty tricks’ person/group (to divert attention away from the anti-price hikes rally today?), the real issue in the minds of many Malaysians is the slew of price hikes. Some 1500 people marched in a procession around Seberang Jaya on mainland Penang to express their unhappiness after listening to speeches at the back entrance of Sunway Carnival mall this afternoon.
Other ‘Allah’ banners, believed to be identical to that found this morning at a Catholic Church in Butterworth this morning, were discovered in a few churches on Penang Island, fuelling suspicion that the planting of these banners is the work of a ‘dirty tricks’ group up to no good. Could it also have been an attempt to divert attention away from the anti-price hikes protest rally on mainland Penang this afternoon?
Victory Lutheran Church, Penang
Unknown person(s), believed to be mischief makers, put up a provocative banner outside the (Catholic) Church of the Nativity in Butterworth. It was removed by the church when it was discovered this morning.
The provocative banner that was removed from the outside of the church premises
This looks like the exception rather than the rule as street food prices inch up.
Still a few bargains around – but extra charge for toppings! – Photograph: Papa Sensible
Look at the optimism about getting approval for this huge 760-acre land reclamation project, never mind that it is still at the EIA stage. This project is linked to the tunnel-land swap deal, as the developer is supposed to surrender land to the state government, which in turn is supposed to compensate the tunnel developer. So how not to approve Seri Tanjung Pinang Phase 2?
The world’s largest activist network has come up with an online petition seeking political asylum for US surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Edward Snowden – Avaaz.org
Commander (rtd) S Thayaparan has launched a compilation of his online commentaries, No Country for Righteous Men, in one of the most well-attended events of its kind in recent times. Some 370 people turned up for the book launch on 21 January at the Royal Lake Club in KL to listen to Ambiga Sreenevasan, Azmi Sharom, Zainah Anwar, K J John and Thayaparan himself.
Commander (rtd) S Thayaparan – Photograph: Torben Daltof
The Penang government is reportedly concerned about public order and safety after a senior civil servant was assaulted in the presence of police during the demolition of illegal structures in Teluk Bahang a couple of days ago (See Malaysian Insider).
This is an unverified video, uploaded on the same day, which I presume shows clips of the incident.
The anti-Lynas protesters want Australia to take back the waste produced by Lynas Corp in Gebeng, Kuantan. Among those reportedly attending the Australia Day celebration were Lynas Corporation officials.
And it comes from a swamp in Sarawak. Another reason to treasure and preserve our natural habitat, instead of building all those artificial ‘tourist attractions’ while destroying our forests and hills and seas.
“Dusk by the Frog Pond” by “Wild Ambience” is the winner of the Most Beautiful Sound in the World competition.
The news that a 138-metre tall tower dubbed ‘Maha Tower’ is being constructed in Langkawi has gone largely unnoticed. Why build such a huge structure to mar a natural paradise (or at least, what used to be a natural paradise)?
There is little regard for the rights of pedestrians in urban planning in cities and towns around the country. Pedestrian walkways are often obstructed with all sorts of obstacles – motorbikes, restaurant tables and chairs, food stalls, shop display stands.
Blog visitor Papa Sensible sent in these photos of five-foot-ways taken in Penang on 15 January 2014.
Limbo low now, how low can you go to get past this. Another obstacle in Penang – Photograph: Papa Sensible.
Trust the pro-Umno groups to find an ethno-religious twist to the kangkung episode.
This video appears to be of the gathering of some 600-700 people outside the Sunway Carnival mall in Seberang Jaya yesterday.
This BBC podcast on the kangkung episode discusses, among other things, whether there was an attempt to block a BBC website page containing an earlier report on the outbreak of kangkung jokes on social media.
The prolonged laughter over kangkung may be a sign of something deeper. Just as the Bersih yellow was the symbol of dissent over the unfairness of the present electoral system, the humble kangkung has become a symbol of the economic difficulties facing ordinary Malaysians.
“This kangkung obsession is fast becoming a laughing stalk,” tweeted comedian Kuah Jenhan. “Lettuce get to the root of the problem. We have mushroom for improvement.” That was the conclusion of a BBC commentary on Najib’s kangkung speech, which has been trending on social media.
Cycling as a commute requires a bold move that is connected to something bigger. Not a half-baked patched-up idea in piecemeal dressed up with lots of PR, writes blog visitor Islandjoe.
Najib’s by now famous kangkung speech is the latest sign that the burden on the rakyat of rising food prices cannot be ignored by political leaders any longer.
