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Biggest mega project: RM43b MRT proposal

Anil Netto
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For what is expected to be the biggest mega project of them all, the RM43 billion Mass Rapid Transit proposal has received little prominent media publicity and most Malaysians remain in the dark about it.

The ‘unsolicited proposal’ for a 180-200km partly underground railway network in Kuala Lumpur by Gamuda Bhd and MMC Corp is now undergoing feasibility studies by two government-appointed consultants, according to a report in The Star.

The actual project is expected to cost RM36 billion. Add land acquisition and rolling stock cost and the tab reportedly could come up to a jaw-dropping RM43 billion. (What about possible cost overruns?) That makes it the largest construction job under the Tenth Malaysia Plan.

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What is PM’s Dept doing with RM4 billion?

Anil Netto
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It is alarming to read that the government has set aside RM4 billion for the PM’s Department alone this year.

Equally shocking to hear that the number of civil servants in the same department has doubled in the space of seven years since Mahathir stepped down – from 21,045 in 2003 to 43,544 in 2010.

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Bala and the wider French probe into DCN

Anil Netto
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Officers of the National Financial Investigation Division (DNIF) of France are responsible for probing into the conditions of sale of submarines to Malaysia, especially a related 114 million euro payment, a French website has revealed.

The DNIF is a divison of the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ) based in Nanterre near Paris. This was where Bala was questioned on Monday.

The DCPJ is the national authority of the criminal division of the French police tasked with leading and coordinating the actions of law enforcement forces (Police Nationale and Gendarmerie Nationale) against organised crime (either criminal or financial activities). In carrying out its investigations, the DCPJ works with other institutions such as the Customs and Revenue Service, according to Wikipedia.

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Live – Selangor shows the way, tables FOI Bill

Anil Netto
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Today is something of an historic day for the country in our quest for a more accountable society.

Watch ‘live’ over ‘TV Selangor’ as the Selangor becomes the first state to table a Freedom of Information Bill for its first reading and debate.

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Marginalised Penan surpass CM in search results

Anil Netto
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The Penan may be one of the most marginalised communities in the country but their plight has received considerable attention, if an internet search is anything to go by.

Like it or not, the Penan are “hot” news: a Google search today throws up 378,000 results.

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French cops quiz Bala in marathon session

Anil Netto
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French judicial police and investigators interviewed Bala for more than six hours yesterday, according to Tian Chua.

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The interview began at 2.00pm French time (8.00pm Malaysian time) and extended past 5.00pm, well after normal working hours in France, said the parliamentarian, who has been keeping abreast with developments there. Bala was questioned at the National Financial Investigation Division (DNIF) of the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ) along Rue des Trois Fontanots in Nanterre.

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Now, forays into London property market

Anil Netto
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Certain property players have turned their attention to choice London properties.

And they seemed to have secured access to generous soft loans, in the process.

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Shady deals, funding scandals rock France

Anil Netto
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All is not well in the state of France as some hard questions are being asked of the leadership about kickbacks and other funding scandals.

The BBC has a story: ‘How ‘rotten’ is France’s politics’?

One pending inquiry, involving the sale of submarines to Pakistan in 1994 when Mr Sarkozy was budget minister, may come back to haunt the president.

The irony is that the explosion of funding scandals in the past two decades has coincided with unprecedented attempts to clean up France’s political life.

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-11

Anil Netto
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Is steep postal tariff hike justified?

Anil Netto
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Pos Malaysia has pushed through a hefty tariff hike from 1 July, but is such a sharp rise justified?

The standard mail (up to 20g) tariff has shot up from 30 sen to 60 sen while the rate for letters weighing up to 50g soars from 40 sen to 70 sen.

More and more folks in urban areas now rely on email and social networking tools; so this move will hurt the rural folks and others without internet access the most. Snail mail accounts for 62 per cent of Pos Malaysia’s revenue.

As one outraged reader wrote to The Star:

The new tariff is absolutely ridi­culous as the quantum of increase is simply preposterous. Calculations show that the increase in tariff ranges from a low of 20% to a high of 100%. Of all the categories, six of them have increased by between 50% and 70%, while seven others have gone up by over 70%. In fact, three of them are up by 100%.

The thing is, does Pos Malaysia really need to raise its tariffs now?

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