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Irate Penangite rails against concrete, railings on neighbourhood greens

Environment

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2 Mar 2015

Irate Penangite rails against concrete, railings on neighbourhood greens

Folliwng a related earlier piece I wrote, an irate resident of Tanjung Bungah has lashed out against the construction of pavements, complete with railings around small greens in quiet neighbourhoods.

The resident said:

(The agency responsible for this) (JKR?) has poured concrete for “drainage purpose” around the Pelangi field and created a so called “walk-way” – and now in the midst of putting grilles all around the circumference of the field. This is a small field with single-storey terrace houses fronting the whole circumference.

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Losing paradise in Langkawi

Environment

Anil Netto

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2 Mar 2015

5

A distressed resident of Langkawi sent me these photos about the clearing of greenery in Pulau Tuba. Local speculation is that a factory is to be built here.

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Singapore raises income tax rates for top 5 per cent – and Malaysia?

Anil Netto

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28 Feb 2015

29

One of the factors contributing to the persistent fiscal deficit in Malaysia has been the deliberate and gradual reduction of income tax rates over the years.

From a fairly progressive tax system, Malaysia has moved towards a regressive tax system. The government has trimmed the tax rates for the rich and super-rich over the years.

Singapore is now bucking the trend by raising income tax rates for high-earners by 2 per cent.

2% increase in income tax rates for higher income earners from YA2017. Top 5% earners affected #SGBudget2015 pic.twitter.com/jcxmDuPvhb

— MOFsg (@MOFsg) February 23, 2015

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What now, after Anwar Ibrahim’s imprisonment?

Anil Netto

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27 Feb 2015

12

Now that Anwar Ibrahim has been incarcerated, what will happen to the quest for reforms? Will it be derailed? Obviously, some people are hoping that this will be the case.

Anwar may have been the catalyst for the unleashing of the reformasi movement when he was arrested in 1997. But the quest for reforms began much earlier, decades earlier in fact.

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Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj’s new book: Alternative Vision for Malaysia

M'sian politics

Anil Netto

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26 Feb 2015

18

This is what Ambiga has to say of Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj’s new book.

Whether one is a capitalist, socialist or just interested in good governance, there is real benefit in reading this collection of speeches and essays by Dr Jeyakumar, one of the most principled politicians I know.

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Is this the dirtiest stream in Penang?

Environment

Anil Netto

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25 Feb 2015

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This could be a leading contender for the Dirtiest Stream in Penang. It is frightening to think that the polluted water could end up in the sea of Tanjung Bungah, not far from beach hotel resorts and popular stretches where many children wade into the sea.

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Penang Hill turning into a Christmas tree; 24 NGOs say no more botak hills

Development issues

Anil Netto

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24 Feb 2015

21

Penang Hill turning into a Christmas tree; 24 NGOs say no more botak hills

Last night while taking the ferry from the mainland to Penang Island, I gazed at Penang Hill. Whereas in the past, the lights at the summit of Bukit Bendera (Flagstaff Hill) would twinkle in the clear night sky, this time other specks of light in the middle of the hill were piercing through the black shroud enveloping the hill after sunset – evidence of more hill-slope development or clearing.

At this rate, Penang Hill will soon be transformed into a giant Christmas tree rising from the centre of a fairyland island surrounded by smaller Christmas trees (highrise condos for the wealthy at the sea front, built on reclaimed land). Do we want this sort of hill-clearing and hill-cutting in Penang? Surely, these bald patches are visible from Komtar.

So it is timely that two dozen Penang-based residents associations and civil society groups have signed an open letter to the Yang Di-Pertua of the Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang expressing concern about the degradation of hills in the state.

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Sirul teleconference fails to materialise

Anil Netto

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23 Feb 2015

5

The scheduled teleconference with Sirul in Australia over an internet radio station has failed to materialise. The link-up with Mahfuz Omar at the Pas Media Centre in Jalan Raja Laut, KL was due to start at 11.33am over Hijau.FM.

At 10.44am, ‘Sirul’ was apparently contacted and given a phone number that would be used to contact him for the teleconference. But the event failed to get going.

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