It looks as if the teaching of Maths and Science in English has reached a cross-roads.
There have been protests against the teaching of two subjects in English while others claim the approach is helpful.
High Chapparal: Investigative team to lodge report soon?
Things seem to be picking up pace.
The state investigative committee probing the High Chaparral issue appears to have uncovered some interesting information, possibly gleaned from various documents, including previous state exco minutes.
Groups want to be co-respondents in Herald case
The case involving the Catholic Herald weekly’s usage of the term “Allah” was heard in chambers today.
A string of ‘interveners’ – mostly state Islamic religious councils and the Malaysian Gurdwara Council – filed their applications to be co-respondents in the case. The hearing was fixed for 17 July.
Manek Urai showdown
Scenes from nomination day yesterday for the Manek Urai by-election in Kelantan.
The house that Khir Toyo bought…
Has Samy Vellu’s mansion met its match?
Selangor opposition leader Khir Toyo has refuted a DAP rep’s allegation that his house in Shah Alam cost RM24 million. Instead, the former Selangor chief minister insists he bought it for RM3.5 million with an additional RM0.5 million thrown in for roof renovations.
Opinion sharply split on Pg govt’s hill-slope management
It looks as if you are sharply divided on how well the present Penang administration has handled the ‘hot potato’ of property development projects on steep hill-slopes, if the opinion poll (now closed) on this blog is any indication.
[poll id=”42″]
Federal govt “ready to help”; Koh: Don’t blame me
Now we hear that the federal government is “ready to help” the High Chaparral residents, says Deputy Minister T Murugiah.
“Although the Barisan Nasional (BN) is not in power in the state, the Federal Government still belongs to BN and we should help the people, regardless of their race,” he said. Check out the Bernama report here.
Meanwhile, former Penang chief minister Koh Tsu Koon has washed his hands off the Kampung Buah Pala crisis, saying he would not interfere to avoid getting blamed.
Nusmetro Ventures: The Balik Pulau connection
Who exactly owns Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, the developer of the Oasis luxury condominium project?
According to the latest records for the developer filed with the Companies Commission of Malaysia, Asia Link-up Sdn Bhd holds 96 per cent of the RM250,000 issued share capital of Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd.
That makes Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd almost a wholly owned subsidiary of Asia Link-up.
But who owns Asia Link-up then? It’s now time to lift its corporate veil as well.
According to the Companies Commmission, Asia Link-up documents registered as at 24 April 2009 show that Mohamad Faridz Karim of Balik Pulau owns 80 per cent of the company’s RM500,000 issued share capital. Faridz has also been director of Asia Link-up since October 2004 and director of its subsidiary, Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, since April 2005.
The sad tale of High Chaparral
The old well at Kampung Buah Pala where clear fresh water reaches ground level – Photo by Anil Netto
For those of you still unfamiliar with the background to the High Chaparral issue, here’s an excellent write-up by Himanshu Bhatt in today’s Sun:
Kampung Buah Pala holds its breath
THERE is an old well said to have been dug some 100 years ago in Penang’s Kampung Buah Pala, a charming settlement of cowherds and planters, which still provides fresh groundwater for many villagers. So remarkable is this well that during the national water crisis of the late 1990s, it became the lifeline for thousands of Penangites who made a bee-line to collect its water when all other supplies failed.
Lifting the corporate veil on Nusmetro Ventures
It’s time to lift the corporate veil on the developer of the Oasis project, Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, to find out who the people behind it are. The company was previously known as Nusmetro Ventures Sdn Bhd, until the name was changed in 29 April 2005 – around the same time the previous state government entered into an agreement with the Penang State Government Officers Cooperative to alienate the High Chaparral land.
The Nusmetro Group website is very “shy” when it comes to revealing the names of the top people in the company. So we need to look elsewhere.
The three directors of Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, according to information from registered company documents as at 3 February 2009 filed with the Companies Commission of Malaysia, are as follows:
- Mohamad Faridz bin Karim from Balik Pulau
- Lim Lai Cheng @ Lim Choh Poh from PJ
- Au Chee Kuan from PJ
Lam Chung Fatt from Batu Caves is the company secretary.
According to a PKR source, Mohamad Faridz is believed in Balik Pulau circles to be allegedly linked to a Penang Umno bigwig.