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George Town going to the birds

Anil Netto
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19

Did you know that swiftlet breeders, eyeing the lucrative edible nests market, have taken over 8.3 per cent of some 3,500 pre-war buildings in George Town?


Photos show the interior of a converted house, the installation of a compressor and the bricked up windows at the rear of the building

One concerned George Town resident expresses alarm. This letter was sent to The Star in response to a report but was not published:

I read with interest the article ‘Swiftly growing’ and what Association of Swiftlet Nest Industry(ASNI) president, Carole Loh, had to say about swiftlet farming. It is a very lucrative business indeed but I strongly believe it is best suited to areas where the birds naturally feed, over agricultural or forest areas, or in combination with agriculture, in areas of low population. Ms Loh is totally correct when she says that it is a risky business with an 80 per cent failure rate but the business is becoming much more about technique (than she says) to attract the birds in the first place. There are really no secrets anymore. All the information you need to start a brand new swiftlet breeding house is readily available on the internet, as are the tapes and tunes needed to attract or detract the birds to/from your artificial cave.

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Govt puts off GST Bill – for now

Anil Netto
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30

It’s not surprising that the government has decided to put off the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for now.

While the NGOs might claim preliminary victory (they had planned a protest for Monday, when Parliament resumes) and some might think that the government has listened to the people’s concern, I believe it was the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturer’s objection that probably saved the day.

Five days ago on Tuesday, the FMM’s task force on GST recommended that the tax be deferred until Malaysia was ready (when average income was higher and income disparity lower).

We shouldn’t be too thankful to the FMM though. They very “kindly” suggested that the government consider a Retail Sales Tax instead of a GST – while the corporations continue to enjoy ever-lower tax rates. Gee, thanks!

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Malaysians hit by asset seizure in Zimbabwe

Anil Netto
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24

Who says you need not worry about democracy when investing in a country.

You would probably be bananas if you think that your investments would be safe in an undemocratic country.

These can’t be the smartest of Malaysians to invest in a banana firm in Zimbabwe, ruled by the autocratic Mugabe, that good friend of Mahathir’s.

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Keep an eye on Pharmaniaga

Anil Netto
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15

Interesting developments at Pharmaniaga Bhd, which through a subsidiary was awarded a lucrative concession to manufacture, purchase, store and distribute pharmaceutical and medical products to government hospitals.

The concession to privatise the Government Medical Store was originally awarded in 1994 to a subsidiary of United Engineers (M) Bhd known as Remedi Pharmaceuticals (M) Sdn Bhd. Medicine prices soared after the privatisation.

Remedi  became a subsidiary of Pharmaniaga Berhad in 1999 and was then known as Pharmaniaga Logistics Sdn Bhd.

Last December, Pharmaniaga Bhd revealed that the Public Private Partnership Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department had awarded Pharmaniaga Logistics Sdn Bhd a 10-year extension on its concession. The Privatisation Committee of the PPP Unit would negotiate the new terms and conditions of the privatisation concesion and then propose the outcome to the government for further consideration.

On 3 March 2010, however, the firm dropped a bombshell when it revealed that the Pharmaceutical Services Division of the Health Ministry, following a routine audit, had revoked the manufacturing licence of Pharmaniaga Manufacturing Berhad effective 1 March 2010.

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Pejuang rakyat or peju-wang diri sendiri?

Anil Netto
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7

This is something I wrote in the wake of the defections from PKR of late:

The defections of PKR elected reps are a blow for democracy in Malaysia, but in the long-run they will provide timely lessons for all concerned.

At the last general election, many Malaysians chose to express their disgust with the BN over pervasive corruption, human rights abuses, economic hardship and the politics of divide-and-rule.

No doubt people voted for the party rather than the person, based on certain principles.

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What happened at the Sultan Sulaiman Club

Anil Netto
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19

Here’s some footage of what happened at the Sultan Sulaiman Club in Kampung Baru on 7 March.

20,000 at Pakatan ceramah in Penang

Anil Netto
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66

By the time the ceramah ended, the crowd at the site had swelled to 20,000.

2225: A crowd of 10,000 is now listening to a speech by PKR secretary general Saifuddin Nasution at a Pakatan ceramah at the Seberang Jaya expo site on mainland Penang, according to a veteran journalist at the scene.

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Reformists acquitted in long-running case

Anil Netto
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11

The magistrate hearing a case involving a dozen reformists who protested in 2000 at restrictions imposed on Harakah has acquitted all the accused.


Free at last – Photo via Tian Chua

The reformasi supporters had protested against a restriction slashing the frequency of the Pas newspaper from twice weekly to once a fortnight.

Of the 12 charged, one had already passed away.

The DDP had subpoenaed 11 witnesses but only two witnesses testified with no response from the rest, said Tian Chua.

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Live – Beng Hock inquest continues

Anil Netto
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3

The inquest into the death of Teoh Beng Hock resumes today as the Sungei Buloh Hospital’s head of Forensics Dr Shahidan is cross examined by MACC counsel Abdul Razak Musa.

How to beat higher food prices

Anil Netto
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34

Have you been to the market recently and scratched your heads at the rising prices of vegetables and fruit. What do you do?

Vegetable and fruit prices have almost doubled over the last six months or so. And there is nothing to suggest that it won’t rise even further.

At one time, we had quite a few vegetable farms in Penang. Now most of our vegetables and fruit have to be brought in from Camerons, Australia, China and the United States.

This is not an ideal situation on three counts:

  • Transporting food from great distances increases the carbon foot-print of these items.
  • We become more dependent on external sources for our food, i.e. we move away from self-sufficiency and food security. What happens when these places don’t have enough to supply us? Prices will rocket, as we are gradually finding out now.
  • We get hooked on the pesticide/chemical model of agrobusiness. By right each state in Malaysia should be looking into what it can do to promote self-sufficiency in organic food. Perhaps we could become a hub for organic food in the region.

Now along comes an initiative to show what ordinary people like you and me can do.

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