The Bolton Surin project in Penang – Photos by a Tanjung Bunga resident
This project again. The photos raise all kinds of questions. Clearly, these are steep slopes we are talking about:
How was this project approved in the first place?
Why is hill-cutting being carried out so close to neighbouring lots?
What kind of slope management is being carried out?
Wishing you all a blessed and joyful Easter!
The 5,000-strong crowd roared, “Mansuhkan ISA!“ – Photo by Anil Netto
On the eve of the Bukit Gantang by-election, Abolish ISA Movement coordinator Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh told a crowd of 5,000 at a Pas event that even though Najib had released 13 ISA detainees, another 27 remained incarcerated in the Kamunting Detention Centre, not too far from the site of the rally.
Just who are these 27, some of whom have been held without trial for more than half a dozen years?
Easter, the vindication of Jesus’ struggle to establish a kingdom of justice and peace.
Today is Good Friday, the day christians recall how the forces of Death and Darkness tried Jesus before a kangaroo court, tortured him a …
Nizar and Perak Speaker Sivakumar anxiously await the results last night
What an incredible last few days it has been. And thank you to all the “citizen journalists”, political activists and even mainstream media folks who fed me information, including complete strangers such as the young man who passed me the video he took of the teargas incident in Air Kuning. Thanks for all your kind words and encouragement, which kept me motivated.
I left Perak this afternoon after lunch at a kopitiam restaurant in Taiping with much to think about (and I don’t mean just the cendol).
Bukit Gantang ushers in a new phase in Malaysian politics. Ethnic and religious barriers were broken here as the Chinese and others voted in droves for Pas. Much of it was due to the more moderate face of Pas projected by its popular candidate, Nizar, and the party’s makeover “Pas for all”. The close cooperation among Pakatan parties, and more importantly, the interaction of ordinary people on the ground also contributed to the breakthrough.
In staging its power grab in Perak, Umno may have committed its biggest blunder. By ousting Nizar, it allowed him to be chosen as a candidate for a parliamentary seat, thus propelling him to a bigger stage – Parliament, where he will now be a regular face in front of a national audience.
His overwhelming acceptance among minority groups is something that Umno leaders cannot match – unless they dump their divisive brand of racial politics.
Here’s an article I wrote in Perak this morning for Asia Times, just before returning to Penang:
Malaysia’s Najib fails his first test
By Anil Netto
BUKIT GANTANG, Perak – Malaysia’s ruling coalition lost two of three by-elections held on Tuesday, in a result that shows that the change in prime minister from Abdullah Badawi to Najib Razak only four days prior has done little to stem the erosion in popular support for government led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).
My contact in Bukit Selambau reports:
0026: Three PKR supporters are believed to have been detained for not dispersing, though I am unable to confirm this.
2355: Police have given a final warning for the crowd to disperse. My contact is concerned that there could be arrests.
2350: In Jalan Cinta Sayang, the FRU are asking the crowd to disperse, but some are jeering and not moving.
2340: Over at Bandar Baru in Bukit Selambau, Anwar has addressed a crowd of around 5,000 as the eve of polling draws to a close.
In Simpang in Bukit Gantang, a crowd of 5,000 has just listened to Husam Musa and other NGO activists talking about whether Umno is really the defender of Malays and whether Pas is a puppet of the DAP.