RPK lives to fight another day as the Sessions Court has effectively left it to the High Court to decide which court should hear his case – the Sessions Court or the magistrate’s court.
PKR congress, yoga fatwa and sordid politics
Heading to the PKR congress Photo by Amiruddin
Blogger Amiruddin will be covering the PKR congress, which is expected to draw thousands.
Read Farish Noor’s article on the yoga fatwa here.
And check out ABC’s Foreign Correspondent documentary on Malaysia’s sordid and sensational politics here.
The spectre of job losses haunts Malaysia
The global recession is already creeping up on us with the spectre of job losses looming. Already, we hear multinational corporations here slowing down production, asking workers to take annual leave and going for planned shutdowns. No bonus, no increments, etc…
That’s not surprising. US third quarter 2008 economic growth was already in negative territory: – 0.5 per cent (preliminary figure). Personal consumption in the States was down by 3.7 per cent – and that could worsen – while retail sales fell 15 per cent. Housing prices there are expected to slide further. US unemployment could soar to 8.5-9.0 per cent by the end of 2009.
That’s grim reading, isn’t it? It would be foolish to think Malaysia can be spared, especially when traditionally, 20 per cent of Malaysia’s exports have gone to the United States – 12 per cent to the giant US electronic multinationals – while Europe is also sucked into the maelstrom.
Blog reader Drachen mocks the thinking in some circles:
Nah, Anil! Don’t be a Chicken Little! Malaysia’s economy has STRONG FUNDAMENTALS! We are managed by SUPERIOR LEADERSHIP! NOTHING will affect our growth and prosperity! We can take ANYTHING the world can throw at us! We are IMMUNE! Let’s all go back to sleep! HAHAHA!
We are talking of a recession in Malaysia that could be worse than that of 1997, which was essentially triggered by a regional financial crisis. In contrast, the coming recession would be more akin to what we experienced in 1986, when exports weakened and commodity prices slumped, sparking job losses.
LA turns to solar energy; why not Malaysia?
“Why solar? L.A. enjoys 276 days of sunshine a year, according to the mayor’s office. Solar would also help cut down on the city’s notorious smog.”
Well, why don’t we seriously consider solar? If Los Angeles can move towards solar – the city is aiming for 35 per cent of its energy from renewables – there is no reason Malaysia can’t move in that direction now. If we start now, we can pre-empt any move towards nuclear power plants, which, knowing our maintenance culture, would be a disaster waiting to happen.
..and they keep coming back to pray for ISA detainees
Praying in solidarity with those unjustly detained
They keep coming back, week after week, to pray for the release of the detainees… What drives them to pray for total strangers who have been unjustly detained? It is their belief that God cares deeply about justice for everyone.
The weekly Wednesday Masses continue to be held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Pulau Tikus, Penang. About a hundred people turned up tonight to pray for the release of ISA detainees and the repeal of the ISA. One senior nun was seen wearing not one, but two ‘Abolish ISA’ badges!
RM1b more needed for flood mitigation in Penang?
The Penang state government has said it needs RM970 million more from KL for flood mitigation projects to prevent flash floods.
It says it has identified seven more areas that require such projects and this would cost RM670 million. Another RM300 million would be needed for 50 water pump stations and five retention ponds.
Areas worst affected by floods are Jalan P Ramlee, Teluk Kumbar and Teluk Bahang on the island and kampongs near rivers on the mainland as well as Kampung Tok Suboh in Bukit Mertajam.
Activist Ong Eu Soon, however, says only a small fraction of that RM1 billion would be needed if the government were to opt for storm water management, which would involve building storm wells with filters in strategic locations. Check out his proposal, which he says uses the latest US technology.
More on the Makkal Sakthi prayers
Pictures by Charles Santiago in Batu Caves here.
Update from blog reader RastamanJB in JB:
The SMSes were flying till late evening asking all Hindus to gather at the nearest temple to commemorate the 1st anniversary of the Great March.
I headed to the temple nearest to my abode… and a real surprise awaited me! A huge banner with the faces of the 5 ISAed heroes was strung across the entrance of the temple. Below their pictures was some message that stated special prayers for the 5 would be held at 8.00pm.
I was there at about 7.00pm and could see the events unfolding as the clock ticked away. Slowly the crowd swelled and there was equal representation by women folk as well.
Prayers to mark Makkal Sakthi awakening
This was the scene at the Sree Ganeshar Temple along Waterfall Road in Penang at around 7.00pm. About 50 people gathered for prayers to commemorate the first anniversary of the Makkal Sakthi (People Power) awakening. On 25 November last year, some 30,000 Indian Malaysians rallied in downtown KL to highlight their plight.
Bruce Willis sees red over “green rubber”
In case you missed it, here’s the link to the Reuters report:
Irene Fernandez acquitted after 13-year court battle
Just got news that Irene Fernandez has been finally acquitted after a 13-year court battle on a charge of publishing false news about the ill-treatment and poor living conditions of migrant workers in a detention centre. The High Court judge who made the decision is Mohamad Apandi Ali.
Some background here:
Fernandez is a staunch human rights activist and is the director and co-founder of Tenaganita, a Malaysian NGO that promotes the rights and welfare of migrant and agricultural workers.