PKR deputy president’s reported warning to PKR reps to toe the line appears to be going unheeded. This is as it should be. Elected reps have a DUTY to raise the people’s concerns especially in the state assembly – more so, given the over-the-top transport plans put out by the state.
Mumbai monorail first phase seen as ‘failure’ – so why monorail for Penang?
Why are the Penang government and SRS Consortium adamant about monorail when phase 1 of the Mumbai monorail has encountered all sorts of problems.
The Asian Age reports:
The Congress-NCP government had scrapped plans to have a monorail in the MMR [Mumbai Metropolitan Region], citing that the studies conducted in 2014 showed the corridor was not likely to be viable and would have low ridership. It had also taken into consideration the failure of the phase-1 monorail constructed between Wadala and Chembur. [emphasis mine]
Make public the consultants’ report on the Penang transport masterplan
The public is not being given the full picture at the various top-down ‘public consultations’ held. Among other things, they are not told that modern trams can carry as many people as monorails and elevated LRT at much lower cost. And have they been told why Halcrow’s recommendations for bus rapid transit and trams are not being followed?
London’s new Mayor Sadiq Khan takes the bus to work
A fine example to set on his first day in office. The son of a bus driver, Sadiq Khan is seen here using the bus and the underground to get to work, something other leaders should emulate to encourage others to do like likewise.
Kensington Gardens… in Penang? What next?
More clearing of our hill-side land for luxury property development – while we are experiencing a prolonged dry spell.
Namewee’s moving Mother’s Day tribute goes viral
The angry young man comes good and shows his softer side. Namewee, along with his mother, has outdone himself with this lovely Mother’s Day tribute. Over 800,000 people have already viewed it.
Live – Mahathir speaks in Penang
Mahathir: “When you believe you can become popular by giving the people money, then you will find that the people will demand even more money.”
“The pay of a prime minister is not enough to buy support… So what do you do? You [allegedly] steal!”
Pointed words indeed.
Live updates: Sarawak votes
So it is BN 72, DAP 7, PKR 3. So that is 10 seats for the opposition, which falls at the bottom end of analyst Faisal S Hazis’s forecast of 10-16 seats.
The result falls a bit flat. Both sides have little to be proud of. The BN because of their appalling and unethical electoral tactics, including the barring of opposition campaigners into the state; the opposition parties because of their hubris, their inability to cooperate and agree on straight fights, their lack of long-term ground work in many seats, and the little apparent difference in economic ideological thinking (ie corporate neoliberal ideology) between the BN and Pakatan parties.
The key figure to watch out for is 44 per cent. That’s the percentage of the popular vote which the opposition parties and independent candidate won in the 2011 state election (2011 state election – 29 per cent) when they bagged 16 out of 71 seats.
This time, there are 82 seats. Can they hit 44 per cent this time around with all the money being splashed around and opposition candidates being denied entry into Sarawak? Share with us your own updates in the comments below:
Take that, Trump! Human rights lawyer elected London’s first Muslim mayor
Sadiq Khan, 45, a former newspaper delivery boy whose father worked as a bus driver after moving to Britain from Pakistan and mother as a seamstress, grew up in a council estate and went on to become a human rights lawyer. Deal with that, Donald Trump.
Crony capitalism: Malaysia is no. 2 in the world!
Now ain’t that something! This will go nicely with our fifth place ranking in the list of countries with the most illicit financial flows (Malaysia chalked up total flows of US$419bn in the period 2004-2013!) and our fame from 1MDB, thank you very much.