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Why you can’t always believe the political-corporate spin

Anil Netto
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Exports of electrical and electronic products fell 35 per cent in Jan 2009

So Intel has started laying off workers in Kulim, according to The Edge:

KULIM: Intel Malaysia, which is closing two of its microchip production facilities in Penang — a move which will affect over 1,000 workers — has started laying off employees at its Kulim facility which has more than 3,500 workers.

Sources told The Edge Financial Daily that at least 16 people out of 26 employed in the department in charge of maintaining the three plants in Kulim were asked to leave yesterday.

According to a source, the workers were not offered a voluntary separation scheme or even asked if they wanted to leave.

“They were told their services were no longer needed and it was not restricted to any age group or hierarchy. The affected employees were technicians, supervisors and even managers.

“They are being paid a severance package of 1.5 months’ salary for every year of service,” the source said.

It is learnt that more employees from other departments would also be asked to leave in the coming days and months but their number could not be ascertained.

No choice, no VSS…

This is why you can’t always believe all the ‘spin’ you read. Recall what Guan Eng had said in this Bernama report on 22 January on the Intel plant closures.

Lim said: “There would not be any job losses for those working in Penang Intel as the multinational company is only consolidating its branches with its employees moving to Kulim.”

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5,000 Perakians give Speaker a standing ovation

Anil Netto
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Hero’s welcome: Speaker Sivakumar is mobbed by ordinary Perakians – Photos by Kinta Kid

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The Perak Speaker acknowledges the crowd

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Keeping alive the flame of democracy, justice and freedom (Click to expand photo)

Kinta Kid reports from the first anniversary commemoration of the Pakatan in Perak last night:

The commemoration took place at the Tow Boo Keong Hall, a venue that actually has two halls separated by a temple in the centre. One of the halls was fitted with projectors for live viewing of the action from the main hall. The crowd was estimated at over 5,000 with the majority of them Chinese.

All the top guns were there such as ‘MB yang sah’ Nizar and Lim Kit Siang. But the hero of the night undoubtedly was the honourable Speaker V Sivakumar, the man who gave the country its Pokok Demokrasi after an emergency sitting of the Perak State Assembly was held beneath a raintree on 3 March 2008. Clearly appreciative of this person, the crowd in the hall rose and burst into applause as he arrived.

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Unfinished business, one year after

Anil Netto
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Sitting on a concrete-and-tar tennis court that should have been cleared from the badly scarred Esplanade: A relatively small crowd of 3,000 attended the Pakatan ceramah in Penang last night

Things that could have been done but weren’t:

  • Declaration of assets by state government leaders: Instead what we have heard are lame and shameful excuses for not doing so. It is now left to Parti Sosialis Malaysia to embarass the Pakatan parties: PSM is holding a ceremony on 12 March at the Selangor Chinese Town Hall to reveal the public declaration of the assets of its MP (Sungai Siput), its Selangor state assembly member, and three  town councillors. Now, if the PSM can do that, why can’t the Pakatan parties? Of course, we won’t bother with the BN parties.
  • A roadmap and a timeframe for the restoration of local democracy (local elections): Pakatan parties want Malaysians to vote them to power. But they have not told us how soon after they win power at the federal level  will local council elections be revived. Will they also introduce elections for village and kampong heads? At the moment, the Pakatan parties seem content to follow the rotten BN system of appointing mainly party loyalists to town councils as a form of reward for their partisan support.
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Anwar speaks on Ketuanan Rakyat

Anil Netto
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This report from tvantara.com on Anwar’s speech from the packed MBSA auditorium in Shah Alam this evening. Nothing really new; though there’s an acknowledgement that a serious economic crisis is at our door-step.  At the same time, however, he is being overly optimistic in pointing to the record investment figures achieved by some of  the Pakatan states. Many of these approved projects could be delayed or cancelled altogether in light of the global recession.

Anwar and his Pakatan colleagues need to develop a radical reorientation of the economy away from the FDI-driven model of economic growth, which in many countries has widened the gulf between the rich and the poor and severely degraded the environment. A more eco-friendly and people-friendly approach that includes promoting small to medium-scale local business activity and sustainable farming/food security as well as upgrading essential public services should be discussed and thought through.

We also need to reduce the “financialisation” of the economy and minimise the scope for speculation while focusing more on the real economy and empowering marginalised communities.

Masa sudah tiba untuk rakyat bangkit menghayati kembali erti perjuangan kemerdekaan yang bertunjangkan ketuanan rakyat dan menolak kepimpinan perasuah dan perompak harta benda.

Ketua Umum Parti Keadilan Rakyat Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata ketuanan rakyat akan membawa kepada demokrasi matang di bawah naungan raja beperlembagaan.

“Kita mahukan demokrasi yang matang, bukan demokrasi yang tempang, bukan demokrasi yang kakinya dipatahkan oleh mereka yang terus ingin berkuasa meskipun telah tidak lagi didukung oleh rakyat,” kata

Anwar dalam Pidato Kebangsaan bertajuk “Ketuanan Rakyat” di Shah Alam sebentar tadi.

Lebih 1,000 pemimpin PKR, ketua masyarakat, dan wakil kedutaan asing hadir mendengar ucapan Anwar pada ulangtahun pertama pilihanraya umum ke 12.

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Historic day as Pokok Demokrasi is officially recognised

Anil Netto
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The morning sunlight filters through the branches, lending an enchanted and mystical aura to the fabled tree

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It’s official: The marble plaque beneath the Democracy Tree (Click to enlarge) Photos by Kinta Kid

Kinta Kid reports from the Democracy Tree, Ipoh:

Perak leaders gathered at the base of the ‘Democracy Tree’ this morning to officiate a plaque highlighting what transpired on 3 March 2009.

The black marble plaque with gold-plated inscription starts off with two quotes during somewhat similar episodes that occurred in France and the UK and then goes on to explain the events of the morning of 3 March:

…when 27 state assemblymen were locked out undemocratically from the house by the police and the FRU under instructions of the State Secretary… At 10.00am the Speaker of the House YB V Sivakumar then instructed the assembly to adjourn to the tree to deliberate the motions of the agenda… By 10.35am all motions were passed following full traditional procedures….

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20,000 turn up in Bukit Selambau

Anil Netto
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A large crowd of about 20,000 turned up in a little pekan in Bukit Selambau last night for a ceramah by Anwar Ibrahim, according to a source who was present.

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Ceremony to launch Pokok Demokrasi square

Anil Netto
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I gather there’s going to be some sort of “Majlis Perasmian Tugu dan Pokok Demokrasi” at the site of the fabled Democracy Tree in Medan Istana across the road from the rear entrance to the Perak state government building in Ipoh at 10.00am today. It will be exactly one year after the historic 8 March 2008 general election.

More trees are expected to be planted around the Pokok Demokrasi to symbolise justice, freedom, etc

Nizar and members of his administration are expected to be present.

Meanwhile, blog reader Anna Brella has sent in some quotes on trees:

“The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Wisdom of the Sands, translated from French by Stuart Gilbert.

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” – Nelson Henderson

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Focus on substantive issues, not personalities

Anil Netto
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Who is this mysterious Andrew, who has been criticised by a few readers of this blog? Here, the academic-activist explains where he is coming from:

Let me clarify that I am first of all, a Penangite and a Malaysian who believes in democratic discourse. Thus, unlike some of those who have attacked me on a personal basis above (and previously in other posts), I am more interested in the substantive issues at hand. So, let’s focus on the discussion instead of personalities. Consequently, I see no reason why I should give anyone my IC number or my full name if I choose not to do so in my comments to Anil’s blog. This is my democratic choice just as I do not demand anyone to disclose their full identity if they criticise me. I would honestly prefer if we addressed the issues.

Hence, I find it disturbing here in Anil’s blog to read postings that reflect die-hard partisan positions towards those whom we disagree with. One would have hoped for better considering that many of us who post comments are from the educated middle-classes; the enlightened intelligentsia of our society if you please.

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Odds and ends

Anil Netto
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Here are some links you might find interesting today:

Democracy under a tree

Anil Netto
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A message from DEMOCRACY TREE

I am just a tree, why not be like me..
I give shelter, and rest to all in need, you can see.
There’s shade under my branches, come and take your rest
You’ll know then, that I am simply Nature’s gift and I ….did my best.

– Shakuntala, an anak Bangsa Malaysia who adores trees and spends time just staring at their beauty and generosity and who believes in the fusion of Nature with human activity.

Some people are saying the tree in question is a yellow flame tree. Can anyone verify this?

Continuing on the tree theme, I wrote the following for IPS:

It has already been dubbed “Pokok Demokrasi” or Democracy Tree and is set to enter the annals of folklore in Ipoh, capital city of Perak state.

In an open space beneath this 60-foot high rainforest tree and another lush mango tree nearby, the state legislative assembly of peninsular Malaysia’s second largest state held an emergency session Tuesday as a crowd of several hundred looked on.

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