This photo, a scene from Burma Road sent in by blog visitor Kevin, seems to show the little regard for traffic rules and MPPP regulations in Penang – and no doubt elsewhere in the country as well where similar rules are being ignored.
A little game: Spot the traffic laws, MPPP regulations being flouted
Bicycle share system: Put in safety infrastructure first
I am reproducing below a message from Ken Khor of Metro Bikes, calling on the Penang state government to prioritise public safety infrastructure for cyclists first before it moves on to the next stage.
Hospital Kuala Lumpur also overcrowded
A patient at the KL General Hospital (HKL) shares his experience:
I am a patient of our Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) and visit two specialist clinics regularly. It used to be four. I was warded in two different wards for biopsies and can attest that our hospitals are terribly overcrowded and rundown. The HKL is an old hospital, and I was born in the maternity section. Guess I will probably die there too.
More Soho property develoment in Penang
Activist S H Tan reports:
I have received an alert from a resident in Bayan Bay near Queensbay Mall concerning a proposed new development next to their Gold Coast condomimium. The proposed development consists of four tower blocks with a total of 1900 Soho (small office, home office) units.
245 acres for mall, property development in Batu Kawan
Hopefully, the Penang state government will put in place a large public park and other free recreational spaces, vegetable farms and fruit orchards for food security, and planned sustainable transport infrastructure, including bicycle lanes and top quality pedestrian networks in Batu Kawan.
A disturbing scene that greeted me at a general hospital
While political groups play on ethnicity and religion to strengthen their grip on power and divert attention from critical social issues, price hikes and corruption; while some political leaders seek the best medical treatment for themselves; while five-star ‘medical tourism’ is being promoted for better-off visitors; many Malaysians from the lower-income group and middle-class are silently feeling the strain of inadequate public health care infrastructure.
This was the scene that greeted me when I visited a friend at the Seberang Jaya Hospital on 4 January. A cubicle in a medical ward designed for six beds is now forced to accommodate 10 or 11 beds, making the whole cubicle congested.
Record grouper catch no cause for celebration
This letter by Dr Kam Suan Pheng was sent to The Star but it has not (yet?) been published.
Penang bicycle sharing system: Request for proposals underway
A briefing for those interested in participating in the tender exercise for the bicycle sharing system in Penang will be held in Komtar on 10 January.
Proton privatised – but still receiving government subsidies
While certain people are getting hot under the collar over the use of the word Allah, Proton, which was privatised to Syed Mokhtar Albukhary’s DRB-Hicom in 2012, continues to receive close to RM200m in “government R&D grants” (public money), according to reports.
The saga begins: Penang tunnel developer enters JV with Ewein Bhd
The convoluted saga of the compensation-in-kind for building the Penang tunnel continues.
The Penang state government plans to hand over land to the tunnel developer, Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd (CZBUCG) as part of a swap deal for building the cross-channel tunnel. And now Consortium Zenith has entered into a 40:60 joint venture with a subsidiary of Ewein Bhd to develop 3.7 acres of that land (Lot 702 at Bandar Tanjong Pinang).