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Chong Eu: A chequered legacy

Anil Netto
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The late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu will be remembered as a leader who left his imprint on Penang during a time of turbulence and ferment in Malaysia’s post-independence years.

His experiment with multi-ethnic politics with Gerakan – in its initial years at least – fired the imagination of many Penangites and other Malaysians.

His economic policy of promoting export-oriented, foreign investor-driven development – the standard World Bank model in support of MNCs – gave birth to the electronics industry and the Free Trade Zone in Penang. It compensated somewhat for the loss of Penang’s duty-free status.

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Noynoy worth RM3.6m; our PM, CMs?

Anil Netto
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Philippine President Aquino has declared his assets showing that he is worth RM3.6 million (50 million pesos). Now when will we get to know how much the Malaysian Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers are worth? Transparency anyone?

Aquino submitted his ‘Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth’ to the Ombudsman’s office soon after he assumed office. Notice, it is not a statement of income but of assets.

In contrast, his predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo started her term of office with a net worth of RM4.8 million. By the time she stepped down from office, her wealth had soared to RM10.2 million.

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NO to Penang Port privatisation

Anil Netto
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37

I don’t know about you, but I got that sinking feeling when I heard that Penang Port could be privatised.

At present, Penang Port comes under the federal Finance Ministry. The government reportedly has already spent RM1 billion over the last five years to upgrade Penang Port.

Now the news is that Malaysia’s seventh richest man, Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, could take over the port, as reported in the Singapore Business Times. Just how many ports do they want him to take over? His MMC already controls Port of Tanjung Pelepas and the Johor Port in Pasir Gudang.

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Sarawak Hansard tampered with?

Anil Netto
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7

The opposition in Sarawak have accused the state government of tampering with the state assembly’s Hansard, the recording of the Dewan’s proceedings.

See Free Malaysia Report here.

An independent source told me the episode is accurate as he was unable to download the fourth day’s proceedings. “The fourth day proceedings were mainly opposition speeches. It has not been uploaded. If Parliament can upload opposition speeches in Hansard, why not Sarawak? Or is the Sarawak Chief Minister beyond reproach?”

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Subang Ria Park under threat

Anil Netto
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12

Something is happening at the Subang Ria Recreational Park and it doesn’t sound good. Although the state government had agreed that all 73 acres will be maintained as a green lung, it appears that 19 acres could now be allowed for commercial use.

Sunrise over Subang Ria Park - Photo credit: subangdailyphoto.blogspot.com


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Why can’t they learn from the 350-acre Hyde Park and the 275-acre Kensington Garden (both combined, larger than the size of Monaco and lying right smack in the middle of London), which are virtually untouchable? But then some of our developers are greedy and think nothing of depriving present and future generations of precious green spaces. All they can think of is $$$

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Parliament leak an “act of God”: Nazri

Anil Netto
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The leak in Parliament – yet again – is an act of God, says Nazri, pointing out that the building is old. Actually it just reflects the lack of a culture of maintenance or plain incompetence.

Go ask the JKR, Nazri says, after being repeatedly questioned by journalists. Part of the problem, he said, is that the building was not designed for air-conditioning.

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Anti-PKR ‘protest’: Another sandiwara?

Anil Netto
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After getting a close look at the ‘pro-ISA protesters’ in Penang, we are now privileged to be able to closely study the ‘disgruntled PKR members’ bussed in to ‘protest’ outside the PKR headquarters on 21 November 2010.

I don’t know about you, but to me, many of them look utterly bored or not paying attention to the speech, only chanting and raising their hands on cue.

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Rajang River crisis: NREB must answer

Anil Netto
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3

Sarawak Deputy Tourism Minister James Dawos Mamit has admitted that the impoundment of the Bakun Dam had adversely affected the livelihood of the people downstream and the tourism industry.

“Because of the shallowness of the river, some of them lose their jobs as tourist guides and have to chop firewood for a living because there are no more tourists coming after the water level has dropped,” the Borneo Post quoted him as saying. Ironically Dawos is the former environment adviser for the Bakun Dam project.

The authorities must now release the Environmental Impact Assessment report. Let’s have a look at the conditions of approval.

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Sharom stresses role of Humanities

Anil Netto
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3

A prominent academician has expressed concern about the decline in the study of the Humanities and the rising ‘technologisation’ of everyday life.

We are undergoing transformation at the hand of the technological imperatives such as Rationalisation, Universalism, Monism, observed Dato Dr Sharom Ahmat, the chairman of the Socio-Economic & Environmental Research Institute in Penang. “We live increasingly in a world of Technology, not a world of Nature. Technological values have eroded Human Values instead of ‘humanising’ them.”

Sharom, who happens to be the father of law lecturer and popular columnist Azmi Sharom, was delivering the keynote address at the opening dinner in Penang on Saturday of the regional workshop for the ninth batch of 23 Asian Public Intellectual Fellows from around the region who had just completed their fellowship programme. The theme of the workshop was ‘Towards transforming society and empowering people’ with panel discussions on the poor, the marginalised, sustainable development, relationship with Nature and cultural ideas.

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Pro-ISA group disrupts anti-ISA forum

Anil Netto
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72

A small group of about 50 pro-ISA protesters tried to disrupt an anti-ISA forum at Komtar Walk in Penang today.

That’s bad. No, pathetic. Who is really behind them? And what’s the point of the protest? They are not going to convince anyone – unless their aim is to stifle freedom of expression.

The protesters should be free to hold their own event anywhere else – Speakers’ Square, perhaps? Why stop others from speaking out against the ISA?

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