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“Dead” PGCC needs post-mortem; and Batu Kawan?

Anil Netto
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15

The Penang Global City Centre project may be dead, but what I don’t understand is why there are no calls for a full-scale inquiry into this massive stinking deal.

The Chief Minister has said that the PGCC, in its original inception, is as good as dead. Notice the choice of words. Does that leave some wriggle-room for the state to consider new proposals from greedy developers or other interested parties on what was once recreational land?

Let’s see who benefits in the end from the PGCC land deals.

After Abad Naluri entered into an agreement in 2004 to buy the land at “recreational status” price, the previous state administration incredibly rezoned the land to new or mixed development, multiplying the land value several times over. This rezoning could land a potential profit of RM1.5 billion to Abad Naluri… RM1.5 billion! (Remember the Turf Club agreement with Abad Naluri has been extended from 2008 to 2011.)

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Trams to make a comeback in Penang?

Anil Netto
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The old tram track on Penang Road

A tram expert has been spotted in Penang.

Putting two and two together, I believe the proposal to bring back trams to Penang is now being given serious thought.  Things seem to be moving.

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Najib apologises, Ahmad to face the music

Anil Netto
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70

It’s not often you get an apology from Najib, much less over racial remarks. But why isn’t Ahmad apologising? The next Supreme Council meeting will discuss what “appropriate action” to take against him.  Don’t hold your breath. Anyway, this fiasco is not going to improve public support for the BN, is it?

Reading between the lines, the devastating impact on BN component parties must have been serious enough for Najib to come out and apologise.

This report from Bernama reproduced in The Star:

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno, the backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional government, has issued a public apology over a remark made by Bukit Bendera Umno division head Datuk Ahmad Ismail during the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election last month.

“We hope that the non-Malays will not be too disturbed with the statement and we apologise if it has incurred the sensitivities or unhappiness over the statement.

“We apologise, Umno apologises although it is not our statement but it is a statement made by one of our division leaders. It is totally unwarranted and does not reflect the position and the attitude of Umno or the leadership of Umno. We regret it very much,” Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also Umno deputy president, said here on Tuesday.

In the run-up to the Permatang Pauh by-election, Ahmad had said at a ceramah that the Chinese community were mere “immigrants” in the country and thus were not entitled to be given equal rights in Malaysia.

Contrast that with this article from Malaysian Insider and you will understand why the BN has lost so much support, even if some Malaysians may not really like Anwar:

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Keng Yaik spoke too soon

Anil Netto
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26

In yesterday’s entry, I highlighted several quotes from an Off the Edge interview with Gerakan adviser Lim Keng Yaik, including his comment about the dubious land deals in Penang:

(Koh Tsu Koon) was not strong enough to stop the Umno fellas. Let’s see the land cases coming up; you’ll find an Umno arm all over the place. Yes, and Guan Eng is saying, “You did not stop it.”

But check out theSun online today. In an article titled ‘Public land gone!’, Terence and Nades reported:

What was supposed to be land for facilities for the people in the up-market Bandar Utama township has ended up in private hands.

All it took was for the previous members of the Selangor Executive Council to agree and for the then mentri besar to alienate the land to individuals, bodies, corporations – and even political parties….

All in all, seven parcels of land meant for public amenities have been misused….

Political parties have also got into the action and hijacked some of them.

The land on which Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan)’s building is located was meant for a telecommunications exchange, while the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) now owns a parcel of land designated for a Tamil school.

Ouch! Perhaps Keng Yaik would like to clarify. (As for the MIC, that’s a lost cause.)

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Keng Yaik lashes out at Umno’s arrogance

Anil Netto
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67

Happy Merdeka Day! – though some of you may not exactly be in a celebratory mood.

Anyway, if you are feeling a little bored on what is a sunny day here in Penang, why not hop over to your local news-stand and pick up a copy of Off the Edge magazine for some ‘fun’. (The magazine does not come with The Edge weekly tabloid; you have to buy the magazine separately.) This week’s cover story is a remarkably frank and hard-hitting interview with Gerakan adviser Dr Lim Keng Yaik, who even accepts partial blame for the 8 March BN setback.

He is not a happy man though and, horrors, utters an expletive during the interview.

I just hope interviewers Ho Kay Tat and Jason Tan were sitting a safe distance away, if you know what I mean. 🙂

He says he has spoken out before –  to Dr M and within BN circles, about the prevalence of money politics. (“It’s all money, money, money, money, money.”)

Just to give you a flavour of the interview:

Where did the BN and Umno go wrong especially in their response to Anwar’s ‘branding’ of Ketuanan Rakyat?

The more they hammer Anwar, the more they popularise him. I was also part of it, hammering Anwar, telling all the stories about Anwar.

Didn’t work. [The people responded by saying], ‘Lu kong si ha mi ah? Lu boh aneh cham ah, lu boh eong eh lang, sway lang, chau lang lai.’ (In Hokkien: ‘what are you all in BN talking about? Aren’t you so bad yourself? BN is useless, a pox on the people, and a bunch of rogues.’)

I blame this purely on the arrogance, abuse of power and  non-transparency of Umno, the interference of the ‘Fourth Floor’ boys who think they know best, and the inability to keep the civil servants at bay….

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Khairy finds himself on Raja Petra and Dr M’s side

Anil Netto
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56

Surprise, surprise, guess who disagrees with the move to block Malaysia Today? Khairy!

Wudyabelieve it!

In the latest entry on his blog he says:

In defence of those who despise me

No other website has caused me as much bad rep and deliberately destroyed my character as Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s Malaysia Today. Yet I cannot help disagreeing with the recent move by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to block access to the site. Such blatant and crude employment of State power is inconsistent with the widening of the democratic space – an approach the current Administration adopted long before the 12th General Election…

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Budget Day: Go on, change your lifestyle

Anil Netto
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40

Change my lifestyle? Who me? – Urban poor in a kampong in Penang Island

Here they go again, telling you to change your life-style:

Malaysians Should Change Lifestyle To Manage High Oil Prices

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 (Bernama) — It is important for Malaysians to change their lifestyle to help bring down the consumption of non-renewable energy while measures are being implemented to alleviate the hardship arising from cost-push inflation, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said.

I am not sure what the pakciks and makciks in the kampongs, long-houses, estates, orang asli settlements, low-cost flats and urban pioneer settlements will make of this. And let’s not forget the migrant workers crammed 20-to-a-house. They are certainly not the ones cruising the roads in their Mercs or BMWs and spending RM10 on a cup of latte.

Here’s a response from Justin Choo:

Anil

Makciks and Pakciks, kampongs and long houses, may be far away in the rural areas. You have not mentioned the retired people like me. No more active income. Some still got to feed grandchildren. I live a very, very simple lifestyle. No smoking, no drinking, no gambling, no womanising (too old lah, and also not rich!), always stay at home, eat small breakfast, and two simple meals a day, drive an old red “taxi” Proton Saga, and wear shorts and T-shirt, and slippers. What lifestyle to change? The only change is upgrade! Eat the most sumptious cuisine in fine-dining style? Savour fine wines and caviar, birdnest soup, abalone with scallops, baked lobsters drenched in the finest red wine. Fly to New York, Paris and London for shopping, etc…. How nice.

Let’s see the Ministers leading by example and dumping their petrol-guzzling cars, with all the escorts and outriders, and taking public transport everyday.

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Should Gerakan pull out from BN?

Anil Netto
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59

Last night, Mustafa and I spoke at a Gerakan ‘teh tarik’ session on the outcome of the Permatang Pauh by-election and its implications.

I was surprised to see the level of interest among those who attended, including non-Gerakan members as well. Many were keen to know whether Anwar would get his 30 MPs by 16 September.

I told them I had no idea. I stressed to them the importance of institutional checks and balances. We cannot rely on a strong personality alone to bring about change. We need deeper institutional reforms – to the judiciary, police, ACA, Parliament, Election Commission and Suhakam.  We also need a change in the mindset among politicians so that they really serve the rakyat and not themselves.

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Anwar finally sumpahs – in Parliament

Anil Netto
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17

The BN has been challenging Anwar to take an oath – and he finally obliged, this morning. Only thing, it was not the sort of oath they had in mind. He was sworn in as Member of Parliament and is now Parliamentary Opposition Leader.

MPPP formally rejects Abad Naluri’s PGCC proposal

Anil Netto
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15

The Penang Island Municipal Council has formally rejected Abad Naluri’s mixed-development proposal for the Batu Gantung area (the Penang Global City Centre or PGCC project) at the Council’s committee meeting on 6 August.

The grounds for rejection were:

  • The proposal did not take into consideration the density of Taman Jesselton (6 units/acre), Scotland Road (10.2 units/acre) and Batu Gantung Road (15-30 units/acre);
  • The applicant had not submitted amended plans for further consideration;
  • There was no formal application to the Council and State Authorities for low- and medium-cost housing on land in Rifle Range Road belonging to the Council and state government;
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