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Another grave development

Anil Netto
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Another grave development, again in the Batu Lanchang area. This is for a project involving terrace and bungalow houses and a low-cost component, a high-rise block.

A private family graveyard, Kam Cementry, at Lorong Batu Lanchang, Lot 54, Section 5, is at risk, and 56 graves, the oldest dating back 180 years, could be exhumed. With speculation driving up property prices, it is not surprising that developers want to capitalise on prevailing market prices. Unhappy descendants have taken legal action. But the MPPP, for its part, claims that all procedures have been followed in the development application.

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Wife of Taib’s son wants RM400m

Anil Netto
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Well, well, well, what can I say? Shahnaz A Majid, the estranged wife of Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib, the son of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, is seeking RM300 million as her share of assets in a divorce settlement and RM100 million in compensation.

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Spirit of Along Sega’s struggle lives on

Anil Netto
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Few Malaysians may have heard of him but that in no way takes anything away from the towering stature of the legendary Penan leader, Along Sega, who passed away on 2 February 2011.

Along Sega and his grandson, perched on a tree stump, witnessing logging activities - Photo courtesy of Ngo/Greenpeace

He was an outspoken leader of the Penan’s struggle against the timber firms that encroached into native customary rights lands from the 1980s.

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BN on a roll?

Anil Netto
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What are a few of the reasons for the BN, or should we say Umno, winning seven of the last eight by-elections?

Here’s something I wrote for Asia Times:

Umno bounces back in Malaysia
By Anil Netto

PENANG – The political tide that earlier rolled against Malaysia’s ruling United Malays Nasional Organisation (Umno)-led coalition appears to have turned again in its favor, raising the prospects for possible early polls.

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Gerakan CC member quits party

Anil Netto
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Gerakan central committee member Dr Hsu Dar Ren has quit the party on the third anniversary of the 8 March 2008 watershed general election.

The reason? “Not so much because of the party itself, which has a good ideology and many good members and many good friends, but more because of the dominance of Umno over everything else within the coalition,” he said.

“I am sick of race-based politics and Gerakan is actually getting further and further away from realising its ideology of building a fair and equitable society.”

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Maimunah is new MPSP chief

Anil Netto
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The head of both the municipal councils in Penang are now women with the appointment of urban planner Maimunah Mohd Shariff as the new president of the Seberang Perai Municipal Council.

Today happens to be International Women’s Day. So this is good news to mark this day.

Butterworth and BM and other parts of the mainland really need someone to look carefully at urban planning. I hope the MPSP will do something about the entire beach-front of Butterworth (particularly the mess along the ironically named Pantai Bersih), the poor condition of drainage, and the lack of green spaces for recreation.

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TBRA takes Penang govt to court

Anil Netto
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The Tanjung Bunga Residents Association is seeking legal clarification over what it claims is the “illicit modification” of the Penang Structure Plan.

They are seeking a declaration that Tanjung Bunga lies in the ‘Secondary Corridor’ and not in the ‘Primary Corridor’ of development under the Structure Plan.

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BN romps home in Merlimau, Kerdau

Anil Netto
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So, my source in Pas was accurate in his predictions for both these polls.

On the eve of polling (5 March, 10.28pm – see Coveritlive below) he had predicted a BN win by 3,500 votes in Merlimau (actual 3,643) and a BN majority of 2,500 in Kerdau (actual 2,724).

Global media: Aljazeera gains ground

Anil Netto
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Aljazeera has made clear inroads into the traditional Internet domination of the global media giants following its breath-taking coverage and live video streaming of the Arab revolution, which has captured the imagination of the world.

This Alexa graph shows just how much ground it has gained.

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Another momentous day in Egypt

Anil Netto
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Essam Sharaf, a former minister-turned-protester at Tahrir Square, was feted by tens of thousands of ordinary people when he returned to the square yesterday as their new Prime Minister, wading into a sea of humanity – without any sign of a security detail.

“I am here because I get my legitimacy from you,” Essam told the crowd, as he stressed his commitment to a transition to democracy while urging the crowd to be patient.

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