What do you make of this? Do you think Pakatan Harapan or PKR should cooperate with Umno? What would their ideological platform be, given the track record of both sides? Good governance, anti-corruption, constitutional provisions. But this is vague, without going into specifics.
Brilliant Chap Goh Meh moon over Tanjung Bunga
Photos by activist Meena Raman
What brilliant moonlight on this auspicious day. It takes our minds off our troubles, at least momentarily. It reminds us that the light will always pierce through the darkness.
And it is also a telling reminder we should do all we can to protect the natural beauty and ecosystem of this place we call home.
And this morning:
TBRA calls for urgent investigation into forest fires
It looks as if things (fires and hill clearings) have been happening on the hills of Penang while the rest of us are under lockdown. This statement has just been released by the Tanjung Bunga Residents Association:
Fake ferry wars: Bridges (and tunnel) over troubled waters (Part 2)
In Part One, we looked at the failure of the Barisan Nasional government in Penang to move towards sustainable mobility.
Now, let’s look at the Pakatan Harapan’s record since 2008, when it captured power in Penang.
The Penang government got off on the right foot and in 2009, set up the Penang Transport Council, which included civil society representatives.
This council proposed that the state government come up with a transport masterplan for the state.
Heeding the call, the state government and the Northern Corridor Implementation Agency, on 27 April 2011, appointed AJC Planning Consultants Sdn Bhd, Halcrow and the Singapore Cruise Centre to produce a masterplan. Full article on Aliran website
https://www.wildstrawberrylodge.com/three-days-left/Fake ferry wars: Bridges (and tunnel) over troubled waters (Part 1)
It was bemusing to see politicians on both sides of the political divide engaged in a recent war of words about saving the Penang ferries.
Both sides seemed to agree that these “‘iconic heritage ferries” should be saved or showcased elsewhere so that foreign tourists and local visitors could take joy rides.
But let’s be clear from the outset. The vast majority of daily riders on the ferries – whether passengers or motorists – are local residents from Penang, either going to work or running some personal errand or on weekend trips. From my observation, they far outnumber tourists and out-of-town visitors, who use the ferries mainly during school holidays, weekend breaks and festive periods.
So the premise for saving the old ferry service – for tourism purposes – starts on the wrong footing.
The hastily introduced boats are a poor substitute for the ferries, not to mention hardly friendly to people with disabilities. A crowd of people in an enclosed cabin with not much physical distancing is not ideal, unlike the old airy ferries where there was plenty of room for passengers with sea air freely circulating through the upper and lower decks. Full article on Aliran website
https://thisiskettering.com/accutane-pills/Aliran speaks on the emergency
A worrying development. Is the emergency motivated by politics or the pandemic?
This is the latest statement by Aliran on the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency:
So this was 2020 … what happened to our Vision?
Not long before Rustam Sani passed away in 2008, I met him in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
You Are My Land – a song by AMIRAH
Do you all remember Amirah? She’s back with another haunting song, this time about our land.
1.8 … This changes everything
Something happened over the last few years which has slipped largely unnoticed.
Wishing you all a joyous Christmas
It has been a grim year for many of us and for Malaysia and for the rest of the word. Let’s hope the coming year will bring happier tidings for more justice, freedom and solidarity in Malaysia and beyond.