Do we really need Porr and more highways if we have a bus rapid transit system like in Bogota?
Bus rapid transit vs subway
A bus rapid transit system can carry as many passengers as a subway system, as the city of Curitiba in Brazil has shown.
I like this quote in the above video clip: “The problem is not the people who use the buses but the people who use the cars.”
Sarawak: Between spin and reality
Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has delivered a special message to mark the festive season. Among his comments is a comical demand which will no doubt add to the merriment: stop criticising the government!
According to Bernama:
“If there are (sic) chaos in the country, it will be impossible for us to celebrate any festivity. We should therefore take stock of what the government has done for us,” he said in his Hari Raya message.
He also said that Malaysians were fortunate to have a prime minister “who has the qualification and a leader who cares for the people’s well-being”.
These remarks coming from a Colombo Plan Australian-trained lawyer, no less.
Revitalising Prangin Canal
If Seoul can courageously dismantle a highway carrying 180,000 vehicles a day and revitalise a stream in the city centre, there is no reason why we cannot restore Prangin Canal in Penang.
Today’s guest writer is Chau Loon Wai:
A good city always provides local residents and visitors alike with quality public realms that invite people to be there – people opt to be there, instead of being there out of necessity. The Prangin Canal is one very important water body in George Town, which had unfortunately been transformed into an open sewer, then conveniently covered, which then led to it being forgotten for too long a time; perhaps many young Penangites may not even be aware of its existence.
How to improve a city within three years
Jaime Lerner, the former mayor of Curitiba who transformed the Brazilian city, says budgetary constraints can force urban planners to think more creatively about sustainable development.
Malaysia’s net FDI outflow jumps to US$6b
According to Unctad’s World Investment Report 2009 released last night, Malaysia experienced a net FDI outflow of US$6.0 billion in 2008, more than double the US$2.7 billion net outflow posted in the previous year.
Inward FDI fell to US$8.1 billion (18.4 per cent of GDP) in 2008 from US$8.4 billion (20.6 per cent of GDP) the previous year. Outward FDI, on the other hand, soared to US$14.1 billion from US$11.9 billion in 2007.
Penan sexual abuse: Piling trauma upon pain?
In response to the official investigative report confirming the sexual abuse of Penan women and girls, the Sarawak Women and Family Council appears to be ready to take action – and carry out another probe!
This from The Borneo Post:
Council ready to probe Penan women rape claim
KUCHING: Members of the Sarawak Women and Family Council are prepared to go to the ground to investigate claims that Penan women were raped or sexually exploited following the findings of a taskforce set up by Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
Council chairperson Datin Fatimah Abdullah said yesterday she was still waiting for the taskforce report from the government and the police.
The taskforce report has indicated that Penan women and students were indeed sexually exploited by timber workers because they are very vulnerable and also partly due to consequences of imbalanced development.
Interview with … a cow
Cows have been very much in the news, from the protest in KL to the Buah Pala evictions. On a lighter note, here’s an interview with a difference.
Arrested for trying to hand over a memo?
The highhanded police action against the 15 activists and indigenous reps in Kuching yesterday was a waste of resources.
All they wanted to do was hand over a petition to state government leaders expressing their concern over the Murum and other dams and the displacement of natives. For that, they were arrested, reportedly for illegal assembly, and later released on police bail.
The CM and his Ministers were too arrogant to even come and accept the memo. The natives have an issue that needs resolving – not arresting. This is the prevailing feeling in town, says a Kuching-based observer.
Porr to return, reclamation at Gurney Drive?
Now this is alarming: not only is the 18km tolled Penang Outer Ring Road back on the cards again, the concessionaire is reportedly seeking to reclaim 61ha of land off Gurney Drive and 142ha at Middle Bank, close to the Weld Quay jetties.
When it comes to taking a stand on Porr, is there much to separate the BN from the Pakatan state government?