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Sarawak’s most peculiar ‘drought’

Anil Netto
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Listen to the Sarawak government’s spin on the reasons for the drop in the water level of the Rajang River. If you believe what they are telling you, the main cause is a dry spell, El Nino, or even climate change.

Repeat after me, it’s not mainly due to the impoundment of the Dam, dummy. (See Borneo Post here.)

Dry spell? From what I hear, it has been raining bucket loads in some parts of Sarawak. The Post concedes: “There has been rain on some days in Central Sarawak but that has not been sufficient enough to raise the river water level.” Oh, maybe the rain just avoided the Rajang River and catchment areas. Or maybe the downpour is not enough to raise the water level. Things must be serious then, if rain cannot raise the river water level.

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Butterworth: Muddy waters choke fish

Anil Netto
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Muddy waters at Pantai Bersih, along the northern coast of Butterworth, have been causing concern among fisher folk.

It is not clear what is polluting these waters – not far from ports on the mainland and the island.

On a related note, Pantai Bersih is anything but – in fact, it is a haphazard eyesore of illegal and legal buildings right up to the coast line. Pity the poor residents of Butterworth as this  small stretch, as well as the Robena Park area, is their only recreational space after the Butterworth Outer Ring Road cut off access to the beach along most of the coast line.

These reports from theSun.

Sea of mud
by Himanshu Bhatt

Polluted waters off Butterworth killing marine life, say fishermen

Abdullah compares the muddy sea water to clear water.
SEBERANG PERAI (Oct 24, 2010) : The seas off Butterworth are being affected by a mysterious mud-like deluge that is killing fish and other marine life along a 5km stretch of shoreline.

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Time to let your hair down

Anil Netto
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As we enter by-election mode, how about some light relief…

Live – Galas, Batu Sapi nomination day

Anil Netto
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Bringing you live updates of nomination day for the Galas and Batu Sapi by-elections.

Central govt debt balloons to RM388bn

Anil Netto
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By the end of 2009, total federal government debt had soared to RM362 billion – a leap of RM56 billion from the previous year.

Much of this was due to soaring domestic debt, which reached RM349 billion or 96 per cent of the total federal government debt, according to the national audit report for 2009. Total federal government debt to GDP ratio rose to 53.7 per cent – exceeding 50 per cent for the first time in recent years.

Bank Negara reports that central government debt (total current liabilities) reached RM378 billion in the first quarter of 2010 and RM388 billion in the second quarter.

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MCMC interrogates Wong Choon Mei

Anil Netto
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1335: The MCMC concludes its questioning of Wong after over two hours. “They wanted to know about the article on Najib’s speech and who’s behind Malaysian Chronicle,” says her lawyer Latheefa.

1151: The MCMC is now interrogating Wong Choon Mei of the Malaysian Chronicle news portal. Two officers have been questioning her at the MCMC office in Cyberjaya since 11.00am.

Her lawyer, Latheefa Koya, says she was refused permission to sit with Wong in her capacity as lawyer. She is now watching from outside.

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Colonial memo on pre-Merdeka talks

Anil Netto
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The UK National Archives has put on public display a memorandum dated 21 February 1956 by the UK ‘Secretary of State for the Colonies’ on the ‘Conference of the Constitutional Advance of Malaya’.

From the memo, you can sense the colonial anxiety that Malaya should continue to be open to and protect ‘overseas investments’ and defend the ‘Sterling Area’, which partly depended on rubber and tin for its resilience. That was probably linked to the imperative of protecting British economic interests in Malaya in the face of the rising tide of nationalism and struggle for economic sovereignty around the world. After all, the colonialists were heavily involved in the extraction of resources, especially rubber and tin, in Malaya.

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Bridge Express Shuttle Transit (Best)

Anil Netto
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Rapid Penang is working together with the Penang state government to implement its proposal for a shuttle bus service across the Penang Bridge from the mainland to the island during peak hours.

If the connections are done right with seamless ticketing, the plan could be a major boost for public transport in Penang and usher in a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system for the state. It would also be a fine example of federal-state cooperation – though I maintain that Rapid Penang, like all other transport modes in the state, should eventually come under the state government’s purview (in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity that local affairs are best planned and implemented locally).

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End the Occupation: Mid-East bishops

Anil Netto
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Middle East Catholic bishops meeting at a special synod in Rome over the last fortnight have called for Israel to end the Occupation of Palestinian territories so that a two-state solution can be found.

The bishops are the ones who are familiar with the situation on the ground.

Here is an excerpt from their final joint communique:

IV. Cooperation and Dialogue with Our Fellow-Citizens, the Jews

8. The same Scriptures unite us; the Old Testament, the Word of God is for both you and us. We believe all that God revealed there, since he called Abraham, our common father in the faith, Father of Jews, of Christians and of Muslims. We believe in the promises of God and his covenant given to Abraham and to you. We believe that the Word of God is eternal.

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-10-24

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