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An extraordinary cycling odyssey reaches its climax

Anil Netto
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jerit-in-penang-6-dec-2008-001Tomorrow, the Jerit cyclists are due to submit their memorandums to Abdullah Badawi and Anwar in Parliament

It is the climax of an extraordinary campaign that has been wildly successful in publicising the six Jerit demands.

Ironically, the oppressive police action only served to heighten publicity for the campaign. If the cyclists had just been allowed to quietly pedal their way to Parliament without any obstruction, perhaps fewer people would have sat up and noticed.

Let’s hope there’s no more drama when they hand over their memos in Parliament tomorrow.

This is a piece I wrote for IPS looking at the campaign as a whole:

POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Protestors Pedal to Parliament, Brave Police
By Anil Netto

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Sarawak Deputy CM trumpets RM52m Salcra dividend

Anil Netto
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Here’s something that an analyst sent to me. The Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) is a government statutory body charged with developing native customary rights (NCR) land in a bid to improve the lot of rural communities in the state. As you can see below, the figures bandied about raise all sorts of questions.

Sarawak Deputy CM Alfred Jabu is also Minister for Infrastructure Development and Communication/Minister for Rural Development as well as Salcra chairman.

On 30 Nov, Alfred Jabu made a big deal about the RM52 million to be paid out as dividends for 2008 to the 16,480 participants in Salcra oil palm land development schemes, and he lambasted Dayak NGOs for their criticisms.

But a simple division will show that this dividend payout amounts to the grand sum of RM3,155 per participant for the year, or an average of RM263 per month.

According to Salcra’s own figures, the total land area under management amounted to 48,700 hectares. Let us assume a low yield of 15 tonnes per hectare, and a mean cost per tonne of RM200. Going by MPOB figures, the mean FFB price/tonne for 2008 is around RM600.

Then Salcra should have netted RM292 million for 2008. This translates to an average net earnings of RM17,731 per participant, or around RM1,500 per month.

In the announcement, DCM Jabu mentioned that another RM22 million had been set aside for loan re-payment. So, total net balance, after dividends and loan re-payments, should have amounted to RM218 million, or RM13,240 per participant.

So, where did that go to? Even if we allow for a withholding of 50 per cent to allow for re-investment and re-planting, that would still amount to RM109 million or RM6,620 per participant to be accounted for.

Given these figures, the Dayak NGOs are perfectly entitled to question the benefit of Salcra. Without any explanation for this balance of RM218 million, DCM Jabu has no call to lambast those NGOs.

Footnote: If the participants had managed their own average holding (average of 3 hectares each), they would have netted RM17,731 in 2008, on the above assumptions instead of RM3,155 in dividend (per participant).

I have tabulated the above information as follows. :

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Chee Seng residents want Bolton’s Surin project stopped

Anil Netto
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boltonslopeScary hill-slope project in Chee Seng Gardens, Penang

boltonsurinResidents want the project stopped

This is a message from George Aeria of Chee Seng Gardens, which covers the Old Chee Seng Gardens, the newer parts (houses built by Leader Gardens), Straits Regency, Coastal Towers, Twin Towers and Marina Towers.

The residents are upset with the Bolton Surin project undertaken by GLM Property on a steep hill-slope, which has previously resulted in flooding in the area. They are also asking the Penang state government to emulate the stand taken by their counterparts in Selangor with regard to Class III and Class IV hill slopes.

Over 80 residents attended a meeting on 13 December with the main press in attendance. “YB Teh gave a short speech and took several questions and his message that we got is YAB Lim Guan Eng is not going to be on the side of the residents and will be alowing the Class IV hill slope construction to continue,” said Aeria.

“We have told him that if he does not stop the developers, then our vote for change has come to naught, i.e. we wanted the Gerakan and Umno government of Penang out and wanted DAP to start controlling the developers but if he does not, then we will NOT support the DAP government.”

The residents told the state government reps that if they do not stop Class IV hill-slope construction, they would support any other party, including the BN i.e. they would play off one party against the other.

We, the residents of Chee Seng Gardens, who started the fight to get the stop work order in Sept 2008 are now pushing for the project (Bolton Surin) to be stopped altogether as the hill slope is really very steep (above 60 degrees and maybe more). The recent Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy has shown us that no hill can be developed; (neither can) a slope so steep be made to just stay steep without falling down some time in the future.

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The failed US occupation of Iraq

Anil Netto
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14

The front page of today’s Sun shows George Bush ducking as an Iraqi journalist hurls a shoe at him.

That may be surprising if you are following the global television stations, which tell us that the situation in Iraq is improving for the occupying powers as the worst of the carnage since the Anglo-American invasion subsides.

Some 1.3 million people have perished in Iraq as a result of the invasion – so you can understand why George Bush is not the Iraqis’ most favourite person.

The lower level of carnage now does not translate to victory for the United States as this Counter Punch commentary reveals:

It’s All Spelled Out in Unpublicised Agreement
Total Defeat for U.S. in Iraq

By PATRICK COCKBURN

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TNB left holding the Bakun undersea cable baby

Anil Netto
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Power demand is dropping as the economic slowdown creeps up on us, but TNB is being forced to pay more in capacity charges to IPPs and take over the laying of the Bakun undersea cables (to transmit even more electricity to the peninsula) after Sime Darby wisely pulled out.

By the way, TNB is 38 per cent owned by the Finance Ministry’s Khazanah and 14 per cent owned by EPF.  So guess who is ultimately bearing the risk? Us.

A political economist has sent the following comment to me.

TNB is complaining that Peninsula Malaysia is going to have 45 per cent excess capacity within the next eight months. TNB also says that this excess capacity is due to the Jimah IPP coming online in January 2009. Given the terms of the IPP between Jimah and TNB, TNB expects to see a drop of about RM500 million from their overall profit margin since the IPP contract cannot be re-negotiated. TNB actually also said that they do not need the excess power but have to buy it. See story here.

Amazingly, this is going to happen within the context of a decline in power demand in Peninsula Malaysia which is set to drop with the coming downturn..! See this power demand drop story here.

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Vigil outside Rawang police station as cyclists held

Anil Netto
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2050: Police are now recording the details of 45 Jerit northern team cyclists in the Rawang police station (phone 03-6091 6222). Outside the station, a candlelight vigil is now being held

At first, the police tried to use Section 32 of the Child Act; they wanted to hold the cyclists until their parents came. Then they tried the usual s112 of the CPC. Now, they are just documenting the particulars of the cyclists – name, IC number, address.

“They seem disappointed that all the cyclists below 18 have consent letters from their parents,” says one of the Jerit coordinators inside the station.

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Three dozen Jerit cyclists detained

Anil Netto
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1453: The Jerit southern cycling team have been hauled up near Bangi Lama.

Thirty six of the cyclists will now proceed to the Kajang police station (phone: 03-8736 2222 for more details).

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If Perdanas are too expensive to maintain…

Anil Netto
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60

… what about Proton Personas? They seem quite popular.

Or if you don’t want Protons, how about Myvis? I hear they are quite reliable and low maintenance.

While most of the country is bracing for an economic downturn, exco members in several states have turned their attention to procuring fleets of new cars.

Maybe it’s beneath the “dignity” of the Pakatan folks – they are supposed to be different from the BN folks, who are accustomed to big flashy Mercs and BMWs  – to use the ordinary cars that many of the rakyat use. Don’t forget many of the rakyat don’t even have cars.

I guess they must have their “foreign” 2.4-litre Camrys or what-have-you … In Selangor’s case, they are even thinking of 4WDs so the state exco members can travel to rural areas. Last I heard, such vehicless are fuel guzzlers. It’s not as if the only thing stopping them from visiting rural areas is the lack of a good 4WD!

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Komtar tree-hacking: Was approval really given?

Anil Netto
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11

A spokesman for Pacific Hypermarket and Department Store (so now we know who’s responsible) was quoted in The Star today as saying that the company had received approval for trees near Komtar to be pruned.

First question: Did the Council really give approval for tree pruning? Or was the approval only for minor renovation work and retiling? Do they really need to chop trees to re-tile?

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Saving jobs – the alternative way

Anil Netto
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21

A joint committee has suggested that companies should prepare for next year’s economic downturn by reducing workers’ overtime, cutting working hours, laying off staff temporarily and slashing workers’ pay packets.

I have some suggestions of my own:

  • Sell off the flashy company cars meant for top management; use fuel-efficient vehicles or the bas kilang.
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