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Egypt was World Bank’s “top reformer”

Anil Netto
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15

By now, we are gradually becoming familiar with the poverty, unemployment (especially among youth) and income inequality in Egypt that seems to be fuelling the protests. But what is less well known is that Egypt, like Tunisia, had only recently been viewed as an ‘economic miracle’ after it wholeheartedly pursued standard IMF/World Bank ideas.

(Follow the ‘one million-strong’ gathering in Cairo ‘live’ over Aljazeera here.)

It’s funny that Hillary Clinton now says that Egypt has to”‘reform”. Only in August 2010, the Wall Street Journal reported that Egypt had become Washington’s economic favourite. And last year, the World Bank, in its ‘Doing Business 2010’ report gushingly (and embarrassingly) applauded Colombia and Egypt as the “top global reformers in four of the past seven years”. I kid you not. How wrong can you get? Unless they meant reforms to profit a small minority of the business elite.

Such IMF/World Bank ‘structural adjustment’ policies include privatisation, subsidy cuts, market ‘liberalisation’ and deregulation. Sound familiar?

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Penang’s farcical draft FOI Bill

Anil Netto
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Although many welcomed the Penang state government’s decision to enact a Freedom of Information Act, the release of a draft Bill has made a mockery of the people’s aspirations for more transparency and accountability.

Have a look at Sarajun Hoda’s analysis of the draft Bill on Aliran here:

The FOI Bill is surrounded by a million reasons stipulating why information ‘may’ not be given. Instead of asserting the opening up of access to information, it only speaks about conditions for not divulging information and even more excuses for impeding access. It finally sounds just as haughty, opaque and obfuscating as the Selangor Bill.

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Oil in Malaysia: Worrying trend

Anil Netto
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As petrol pump prices rise steadily (another increase in RON 97 price has just been reported), here’s a less well known trend: Malaysian oil production has been gradually falling since peaking in 2004.

This graph should be of concern to all Malaysians. Notice the production-consumption gap narrowing.

Graphic credit: http://www.eia.doe.gov

That’s why they are dishing out contracts for ‘enhanced’ oil recovery.

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Egypt: Writing’s on wall for Mubarak

Anil Netto
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Events unfolding in Egypt have gripped the attention of people all around the world. The writing is clearly on the wall for the US-backed dictator Mubarak.

Oddly enough, I was just watching a documentary on the last days of the Marcos regime (US-backed too) and there are some uncanny similarities. The United States only withdrew support for Marcos in the last minute when confronted with a huge display of People Power. The US government unceremoniously whisked him away to a safe haven in Hawaii. He thus escaped from justice and the wrath of the people of the Philippines.

It is also interesting to see that some of the looters, arsonists and ‘rioters’ are suspected to be police or other security personnel. (Robert Fisk provides an eye-witness account in ZNet.) If that’s true, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise as such ‘black ops’ tactics among security apparatus, not to mention agents provocateurs, are standard fare aimed at discrediting the protesters in the eyes of the rest of the public, who may be wavering or undecided. One activist interviewed over Aljazeera alleged that vigilantes had caught a looter(s) with a police ID(s) on him(them).

One popular tweet going around reads: “‘Egyptian Christians said they will guard the Muslims from the police while they on Friday Pray.’ Amazing solidarity.”

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Live – BN wins in Tenang

Anil Netto
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BN has defeated Pas in the Tenang by-election with a larger majority of 3,707. Voter turnout was revised downwards to 67 per cent. Live updates and discussion of the Tenang by-election outcome.

Photo of the day: A man said to be Muhyiddin wading through knee-deep floods in Tenang today as an aide shields him with an umbrella in case he gets even more drenched - Photo from twitpic

Live – Climax of Tenang campaign

Anil Netto
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Tonight is the final night of campaigning for the Tenang by-election tomorrow.

‘Seeing the light’ on the eve of polling…

Anil Netto
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Another by-election, another ‘bombshell’ (well, not quite as we already saw it coming). This time in the form of another PKR MP ‘seeing the light’ on the eve of polling for the Tenang by-election.

N Gobalakrishnan, a former MIC Youth secretary general (1993-1999) who joined Keadilan in April 1999, is the sixth PKR MP to quit the party since the 2008 general election. How times have changed. He was detained under the ISA for his role in the reformasi movement. See Aliran – ‘Why has Appa been arrested?’ And in this interview with Aliran after his release, Gobala insisted “Reformasi will never die”:

Reformasi can never die. A person can die, but reformasi will never die because reformation will be talked and talked about every day. Every individual will want to bring about reformation. If there’s a person who says that he doesn’t want to bring about reformation, that means the man is brain-dead… They can put down the organisation, they can put down the gathering of the reformists, but reformation (itself) can never die, and the government can never kill reformation.

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Look at the Big Picture

Anil Netto
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9

We tend to be obsessed with FDI and economic growth rates. Many of us overlook the bits we don’t see – like the depletion of natural resources, the toxic chemicals used, and the waste the corporations and consumers discard.

We fail to see the hidden costs in the overall economy and how corporate interests have overwhelmed the interests of ordinary people.

And often, we also do not see the alienation of the human being – from our own selves, from our fellow human beings, from nature – leading to an overall spiritual alienation or disconnect.

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“Slim” chance for Pas in Tenang

Anil Netto
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53

I spoke to a couple of people on Tenang to find out what they thought of the way the by-election campaign was going.

Before that, a little poll:

[poll id=”61″]

The first, a political scientist now visiting Tenang, told me that it’s not looking great for Pas there. Another political analyst accompanying him, however, chipped in, “But it’s not all that bad either for Pas.”

The BN looks solid especially in the Felda areas where a sizeable bloc of voters reside and have profited in recent times, said the political scientist.

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So how did Kugan die?

Anil Netto
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16

The only cop charged with causing ‘grievous hurt’ in the case of Kugan’s death in police custody has been freed.

Which raises the question, how did Kugan die? A post-mortem report showed that Kugan had suffered severe beatings and was starved during his detention.

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