Home Blog Page 436

Why Pakatan lost in Bagan Pinang

Anil Netto
-
128

The Pakatan needs to carry out a serious postmortem to find out why and how it was thrashed in Bagan Pinang.

bgpinangbualpala
Posters of the Kg Buah Pala demolition were found around Ladang Siliau in Bagan Pinang on nomination day – Photo by Tiger

In some ways, the BN victory was not unexpected. Perhaps the scale of the defeat surprised many. But a few keen political analysts noticed something amiss ahead of polling day and predicted that Isa would win comfortably as noted in my post here.

So far, many have pointed to some obvious reasons for the BN’s landslide win:

Pull factors:

  • Isa was a popular, well-known – albeit tainted – local candidate.
  • Bagan Pinang is an Umno stronghold.
  • All kinds of promises and enticements were made, especially to army personnel about improved facilities.
  • Questions about the postal balloting system persisted.
  • And of course, the mainstream media were used in the campaigning (but then the last three points were no different from previous by-elections – except there were more postal ballots here).
Continue

Climate chaos forces farmers to adapt

Anil Netto
-
3

After attending a conference on climate change and the food crisis in Penang, I was supposed to write an article and that left me wondering how I should write the introduction.

And then it struck me that even as the conference was taking place, the climate was wreaking havoc in the region. Among those worst affected are the farmers, who rely on disctinctive seasons for an optimal harvest. How are they coping?

PENANG, Malaysia, Oct 9 (IPS/IFEJ) – When organisers of an international conference on climate change and the food crisis first scheduled the event here for late September, little did they realise the event would be sandwiched by two typhoons buffeting the region. Ironically, the first typhoon, ‘Ketsana’, delayed the arrival of conference delegates from the Philippines.

Continue

A peek at the Pulau Tikus town hall meeting

Anil Netto
-
44

This is for those of us who couldn’t make it for the Pulau Tikus town hall meeting organised by the Penang Municipal Council as part of the Penang Transport Council’s pilot project to de-congest Pulau Tikus.

pulautikus
Dr Lim Mah Hui of the Penang Transport Council addressing the town hall meeting – Photos courtesy of Dr S P Choong

pulautikus1
The participants, journalists and police at the town hall meeting

Maybe the following exchange will encourage public discussion and participation in the initiative towards more sustainable transport.

First the write-up by soohuey, who attended the town hall meeting:

Continue

Bagan Pinang: Congrats to the BN!

Anil Netto
-
58

Congrats to the BN! It finally broke the Pakatan’s winning streak on the peninsula. There will be much rejoicing in the mainstream media about how the tide has turned.

But at what cost?

In its desperation to win in its own stronghold, Umno put up a popular local candidate whom its own party disciplinary board had found guilty of “money politics” (let’s call a spade a spade and refer to it as corruption). A candidate who perhaps best reflects the ethos of the party – at a time when the MCA itself is in utter disarray following the PKFZ debacle.

What message does this send out about “1Malaysia” and “1World”? We might as well disband the MACC…

Continue

LIVE: BN routs Pakatan in Bagan Pinang

Anil Netto
-
27

Live coverage of developments from the Bagan Pinang by-election.

Last day of Freedom Film Fest in Penang

Anil Netto
-
2

If you are free tomorrow (Sunday), why not hop over for the final day of the Freedom Film Fest in Penang organised by Komas. This time the fest is being hosted in Han Chiang School/College, near the Penang State Mosque.

You can find the programme schedule here. You are spoilt for choice, but if you are not sure which film to go for, I have been reliably told these shouldn’t be missed:

11.00am – Flow

Irena Salina’s award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century – The World Water Crisis.

Continue

MCA sharply split ahead of Bagan Pinang poll

Anil Netto
-
43

The BN was dealt a demoralising blow on the eve of the Bagan Pinang by-election after contradictory motions passed during the MCA’s extraordinary general meeting today threw the party into disarray and left it bereft of top leadership.


Photos by Jong

Before today’s EGM, a couple of political scientists/analysts I know who visited Bagan Pinang last night got the impression that the BN had the edge. They observed that the Pakatan’s campaign was missing some of the earlier by-election “spirit” and felt that Isa would win comfortably.

Continue

Scenes from Bagan Pinang

Anil Netto
-
7

Just to give you a flavour of what it’s like in Bagan Pinang a couple of days ahead of the by-election.


Photos by Jong

Town hall meeting to de-congest Pulau Tikus

Anil Netto
-
49

Here’s something interesting from the Penang Municipal Council, which hopefully will be the first step towards more sustainable transport and pedestrian-friendly streets in Penang. Pulau Tikus is supposed to the focus of a pilot project that could be extended throughout Penang. If you are in the area, why not check it out or better still, participate.

Decongest traffic in Pulau Tikus

You are all invited to a stakeholders’ meeting

Time: 4.00pm – 6.00pm
Date: 10 October 2009
Place: Balai Rakyat Pulau Tikus, Jalan Cantonment
Organised by MPPP

Daily traffic jams!! For so many years!!
HOW can this problem be solved??
CAN holistic win-win solutions be found??
YES!!

Continue

“Apex” USM still in the doldrums

Anil Netto
-
11

Looks as if USM isn’t making much headway among the major league universities, if the THES ranking is anything to go by.

Not to be obsessed with those rankings, but I can’t help wondering where the big apex (more popularly known as ah pek) budget is going to and what kind of results it is yielding.

All those courses and workshops in hotels aimed at improving standards don’t seem to be filling up the academic “silos” of USM.

Continue
1...435436437...569Page 436 of 569
© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv