Today, I am attending a workshop on gender responsive budgeting in Penang.
“Gender responsive what?” I hear you ask. Basically it means incorporating the gender perspective – too often overlooked – in every stage of the budget planning process, including measuring the impact or outcome of the actual spending.
This was the sort of day for me that encapsulated a lot of what it means to be Malaysian today.
Interfaith dialogue, understanding one another
In the afternoon, I dropped by at the St Anne’s Catholic Church in Bukit Mertajam, which was holding a dialogue session with Dr Dzul, the MP for Kuala Selangor and Pas central committee member.
This is Dr Dzul engaging in open and frank dialogue with Fr Henry Rajoo, the parish priest over some of the contentious issues in Malaysia. This was a dialogue and not a debate, the crowd was told. The mood was one of willingness to listen to the other’s point of view, trying to get to know and understand one another.
Astonishing courage. Thousands of determined pro-democracy Bahrainis have reclaimed the symbolic spot in the capital at Pearl roundabout, the same place where security forces had massacred others over the previous two days.
Pro-democracy protesters in Libya too have been killed: 86 over the last few days, according to Human Rights Watch.
As part of the effort to promote Penang street food against the onslaught of fast-food culture and gentrification, I thought a poll to determine once and for all the signature street food dish of Penang would help to whet everyone’s appetite.
But first, nominations, please – for the dish that uniquely captures the essence of authentic Penang street food culture and satisfies the most number of taste buds.
A Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement was signed yesterday between India and Malaysia.
The agreement, “which was reached after seven rounds of negotiation, will see Indian mangoes, cotton, motorcycles, trucks and basmati rice attract less duty in Malaysia, among other things,” reports PTI. “As a quid pro quo, the South-East nation will face less barriers on the sale of its fruit, engineering goods and chemicals in India.”
Disturbing scenes as security forces fire live bullets on pro-democracy supporters in Bahrain. Dozens have been massacred over the last three days. Even medical staff were not spared the outrageous brutality.
A Japanese multinational company is demanding RM10 million by today and a public apology from lawyer-activist-blogger Charles Hector after he highlighted problems faced by Myanmar migrants working at the firm’s plant in Malaysia.
Asahi Kosei (M) Sdn Bhd claims the workers are not employed by the firm and are instead supplied by an unnamed third party and that Hector had thus defamed Asahi Kosei through his blog postings by suggesting that the firm was responsible for the alleged poor treatment of the workers. Before he was slapped with the RM10 million demand, Hector had sent two e-mails on 8 and 9 February 2011 to the company expressing concern about the workers’ problems – but did not receive any reply, clarification or denial.
Hector had also released a joint statement, endorsed by 82 civil society groups and published on his blog, to express concern about the workers’ plight.