Here’s a flashback that might be of interest (in case you missed it): check out this Malaysian Insider report on 5 August here.
Ask BN for everything, Anwar urges voters
Photos by Anil
Last night, I thought I would go and check out the scene in Permatang Pasir at random. It didn’t take me long to stumble upon a crowd along Jalan Kubang Semang, near the Permatang Pauh old town centre. Traffic police were doing a good job making sure the crowd did not spill on to the road.
As I approached the ceramah venue, I heard a familiar voice – Anwar’s. He was urging the voters of Permatang Pasir to ask BN leaders to do as much as possible for the area.
“As the MP for Permatang Pauh (in which the state seat of Permatang Pasir lies), I urge all of you to ask the BN leaders for whatever you need, whether road repairs or improvements to the mosques or whatever. Take whatever is given, but you know how to vote,” he said to chuckles from the crowd.
IMF’s call for GST is part of neo-liberal agenda
The IMF’s call for Malaysia to expedite a goods and services tax (GST) and slash subsidies is part of its larger – and now widely discredited – neo-liberal agenda. The IMF itself is struggling for relevance now as many developing countries especially in Latin America have shunned its advice after seeing the damage done to the national economies of that continent.
The neo-liberal agenda, part of the “Washington Concensus”, is to cut taxes for the rich and the corporations, slash subsidies on social spending, and promote privatisation of essential services or “user-pay” models that benefit large corporations, including MNCs.
The GST is a regressive tax that will hurt the poor, who are now outside the income tax bracket. If a tax on spending is introduced, the poor will bear a disproportionately higher tax burden (in terms of their spending compared to their income) than the rich.
Federal Court to hear Buah Pala case on Friday
Yesterday was case management of the Kg Buah Pala villagers’ application to the Federal Court. The villagers are seeking a stay of demolition and a review of an earlier decision that they had no legal standing in the matter. This excerpt from a Bernama report:
PUTRAJAYA, August 18 (Bernama) — The Federal Court is set to hear on Friday the second application by the Kampung Buah Pala residents for leave to appeal to the Federal Court relating to their eviction order.
Federal Court registrar Surita Budin fixed the date to today after the case came up for case management.
Beng Hock alive when he landed: Pathologist
1430: Prashant now backs the suicide theory.
1225: University of Malaya lecturer and pathologist Dr Prashant has testified that Beng Hock was alive when he hit the ground feet first, followed quickly by the buttocks, according to Malaysian Insider tweets from the inquest.
Pagoda collapse an omen for Burma’s regime
The Asean chair, Thailand, has expressed deep disappointment that Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to 18 months house arrest.
Malaysia too has expressed similar regret. Both countries have called for the release of all political detainees in Burma.
Meanwhile, the collapse of a 2,300-year-old pagoda in Burma – three weeks after the wife of Burma’s senior general Than Shwe helped to rededicate it – is being seen as an omen for the military regime.
Permatang Pasir: BN feels the heat (updated)
Photos by Anil
Video footage of Padang Serai MP Gobalakrishnan’s arrest
Between 5,000 and 10,000 Pakatan supporters rallied outside the nomination centre for the Permatang Pasir by-election. I was not able to gauge the size of the BN crowd as the two sets of supporters were kept apart. Quite a few of the supporters wore surgical masks because of their fear of H1N1.
This was the same nomination centre used for the Penanti by-election and this time the crowd appeared much larger than the few thousand that had turned up back then. Among the crowd were small contingents of DAP and PKR reps.
Nearer the nomination centre, Pakatan speakers addressed the crowd. The police presence was noticeably lighter. Penang CPO Ayub Yaakob had earlier spoken of a new approach in putting public order units only on stand-by following complaints that the police presence in previous by-elections had been overwhelming; just over a thousand personnel would reportedly be on duty this time. Apart from the usual plainclothes cops, I spotted the dark-blue uniformed units, mostly concentrated just outside the nomination centre, and their blue jeeps; no sign of any riot police.
Climate chaos concerns could affect exports
Ever notice how we have blissfully buried our heads in the sand when it comes to the effect of climate chaos on our economy and our country?
It is obvious that the prospect of climate chaos doesn’t figure prominently in our economic planning. Why, it’s just business as usual – though there is some recognition that our economy is too dependent on exports. For the most part, however, we are still stuck in the mould of trying to increase our exports to places like the US and the EU.
Well think again, those of you who think climate change has nothing to do with the way we do business. To cope with higher transport costs and to reduce their carbon footprint, firms in the West are now turning to suppliers closer to home. This is a major development, considering Malaysia’s traditional reliance on export-oriented manufacturing to drive our economy.