The white line in the satellite image is the contour indicating 250 feet above sea level. If that’s the case, the image shows that the hill-clearing lies above the 250-feet threshold allowed in state guidelines.
Thai top cop tells IGP to ‘use proper channels’; Is Najib now a lame-duck PM?
Pol Gen Somyot advised his Malaysian counterpart Khalid Abu Bakar in talks at the Royal Thai Police Office that Malaysia must use the proper channels, including the Office of the Attorney-General and the Foreign Ministry, for information about Xavier Andre Justo because he is not a Malaysian national.
The police chief repeated Thailand’s position on no green light for Malaysian authorities to probe the Swiss man and reminded Mr Khalid that the police investigation into the case remained unfinished.
No luck there, I suppose. This is the second time in a week that the Malaysian authorities are trying to get access to Justo to determine if he should be extradited. The first unsuccessful attempt was on 16 July.
Meanwhile, is Najib now a lame-duck PM, in the same way that the Tunku was after May 13 and Abdullah Badawi after GE2008, before they stepped down (or were phased out, if you like)?
Gaping scars on hill-slopes of Sungai Ara, Penang
What’s going on at this steep hill-slope in Sungai Ara? It should be visible from the Jalan Kenari area, not far from Divine Mercy Church.
Is it a property development project? How steep is this hill-slope? Is it a Class III or Class IV hill-slope? Is it less than 250 feet above sea level?
There HAS been a new land reclamation deal in Penang post-2008
Contrary to the Penang state government’s position…
Is it really true there has been no new land reclamation since 2008? What about the Bayan Mutiara land deal in 2011?
I blogged back then that Ivory Properties had received a letter of acceptance from PDC for ‘mixed development’ of 68 acres of existing land and 35 acres to be reclaimed.
So what is the petrol pump price going to be at end-July?
The last time around, at the end of June 2015, petrol pump prices rose by 10-20 sen per litre under our ‘wonderful’ monthly float system even though the global oil price fell during the month. So what will the price be at the end of July given that the oil price has dropped even more in July (so far)?
A message from Anwar Ibrahim
We haven’t heard from Anwar for a while, so here is a message from him:
DS Anwar: “Rakyat Malaysia Perlu Bersatu dan Bertekad Untuk Selamatkan Negara Kita”
Berikut adalah perutusan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim kepada rakyat Malaysia yang disampaikan melalui peguam beliau pada 21 Julai 2015:
“Negara kita terus berada di dalam krisis yang semakin teruk, manakala kerajaan BN terus menafikan keadaan ini. Nilai mata wang ringgit merudum, tatkala rasuah dan skandal kewangan mencapai tahap yang belum pernah disaksikan sejak Merdeka lagi.
Sarawak Report block a sign Umno is losing the propaganda battle
The move to block the Sarawak Report website and Lim Kok Wing’s resignation are signs that the BN is losing the propaganda war over 1MDB and other scandals.
So no massive land reclamation in Penang in the offing then?
The present Penang state government may not have granted any land reclamation rights since 2008, but recently concern has been expressed about possible land reclamation to finance the RM27bn Penang Transport Masterplan (of which RM17bn is for the construction of more roads and highways).
The following is an extract of a descriptive piece written for Malaysiakini by Mariam Mokhtar about a dialogue in London with the Penang Chief Minister.
The question that irked Lim was as innocuous as those that preceded it, but they brought passion to Lim. They were about the sustainability of development in Penang, hillside development and the threat posed to the breeding grounds of fish, by land reclamation.
Selamat Hari Raya
Maaf zahir dan batin to all readers.
Zahir refers to the outer, material or physical or what is apparent whereas batin refers to the inner, spiritual or what is not so apparent. So “maaf zahir dan batin” refers to seeking forgiveness for both these kinds of transgressions. After all these years, I only learned that from a Muslim friend yesterday.
May the peace, goodwill, compassion, love, justice, unity and the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation among us this Raya prevail over those promoting hatred, illwill and divisiveness.
For your reading pleasure this weekend, check out these two articles:
Ramadhan reflections on 1MDB, sarongs and the Low Yat brawl by Zaharom Nain, published by Aliran.
In Malaysian politics, keep calm and amok on! by Sophie Lemiere, originally published by New Mandala. This piece discusses Pekida among other things.
New hope with Harapan Baru?
The following statement was released with the launch of Harapan Baru at a hotel in KL yesterday. What do you think? Does it really bring about new hope? I believe this new entity/movement provides a platform for a more enlightened, inclusive and progressive alternative to Pas’ increasingly conservative approach to Islam and its bewildering rapprochement with Umno. That can’t be a bad thing for the country; in fact, it is a movement whose time has come.