anilnetto.comanilnetto.comThe journalism and other writings of Anil Netto - featuring real journalism in the cause of justice, freedom and solidarity 
Articles
Mahathir quits Umno: What?s next - Umno Baru Baru?
2008-05-19 08:01:00 So the man who established Umno Baru in 1988 quits the party he founded in a huff. Now this comes just a few days after he and a string of his cronies were accused of involvement in the fixing of appointments of judges. Over the last few months, Mahathir has watched from the sidelines as his house ... More About: Judiciary , Malaysian politics
How did Abad Naluri get over 1,000 acres of Batu Kawan land?
2008-05-16 19:47:00 When discussing the RM1.5 billion PGCC scandal along with the scandalous rezoning from “recreational” land to “new development”, we cannot afford to ignore what was going on in Batu Kawan, which is closely connected to the PGCC saga. The PGCC and Batu Kawan deals reveal some highly questionable circumstances. During a meeting between Chief Minister Lim Guan ... More About: Environment , Accountability , Land , Acres
How to stop any development of Penang Turf Club for now
2008-05-15 06:41:00 The dream of a Penang People’s Park lives on. But Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng seems concerned that if he rezones the Penang Turf Club land back from “development” status to “recreational”, it could expose the state government to claims of compensation. But he needn’t have to worry too much. For the Penang state government holds ... More About: Environment , Development , Accountability
Bloggers launch ?Penangites for Trams? campaign
2008-05-14 08:59:00 Today, several Penang-based bloggers and websites are due to simultaneously launch a “Penangites for Trams” campaign. We hope more and more bloggers and webmasters - especially all those who care for Penang - will join in the campaign by placing the graphics here on their blogs or websites. You can link the graphic to the ... More About: Environment , Campaign , Bloggers , Launch , Civil society
Suaram activists released on police bail, complain of ?mala fide?
2008-05-12 06:10:00 This morning, Suaram Penang coordinator Lau Shu Shi, who is also Penang coordinator for the Abolish ISA Movement (GMI), and Teh Chun Hong were released on police bail. Shu Shi told me she is required to report to the police on 21 May to find out about a possible charge under Section 90 of the Police ... More About: Human Rights , Released , Civil society , Malaysian politics
PGCC the biggest land scam: Guan Eng slams Koh and Teng
2008-05-11 09:17:00 The PGCC project has been the biggest land scam in Penang, Penang Chief Minister Guan Eng said today, adding there were a couple of other large scams still under investigation. He was responding to a statement by Teng Hock Nan yesterday (see full statement below). The Penang state government had converted the Turf Club land from ... More About: Environment , Accountability , Land , Scam , Civil society
B K Ong, Suaram activists, Hindraf supporters detained after Hindraf demons
2008-05-11 07:53:00 5.30pm - Three more Hindraf activists or supporters are also said to be held by police: Vimal, Hindraf activist Selvam and press freedom activist Stanley, who had earlier campaigned for a boycott of The Star. This brings the total to seven detained. 3.15pm - About 10-15 people are at the police station. B K Ong, Satish, ... More About: Media , Health Care , Poverty , Democracy , Accountability
Who?s profiting from higher food prices? Certainly not the rice farmers
2008-05-09 08:33:00 Some people are making big bucks from the higher prices of food, including rice. But not the farmers. The Star (8 May) carried this tiny report on page 32 - it should have been front page headlines, Chun Wai! - telling of how over 2,000 rice farmers in the country’s “rice bowl” state of Kedah are ... More About: Food , Workers , Rice , Poverty , Higher
Candlelight vigil for Raja Petra at Dataran last night
2008-05-09 05:36:00 Looks like another ‘happening’ night at Dataran Merdeka yesterday. A candelight vigil for Raja Petra . Check out Teoh Jit Khiam’s photoblog here. Great pictures and witty write-up. Nice to see more creative people emerging in Malaysia. And delighted to hear Raja Petra is out on bail. Welcome back, Pete! More About: Human Rights , Night , Democracy
Two hot potatoes in PGCC/Penang Turf Club deal
2008-05-08 04:19:00 It looks like we are going to hear more about the Penang Turf Club in the news. The controversy is simply not going away. Here are two more hot potatoes: First hot potato: No conversion fee charged When the status of the Penang Turf Club land was converted from open recreational to mixed development land, by right the state ... More About: Environment , Potatoes , Deal , Accountability
Utter fiasco! Here?s why CCTV cameras won?t work in Penang
2008-05-07 12:49:00 Now this is why the Penang state government should not go ahead with its plan to install CCTV cameras in crime-prone areas. The only people to benefit will be the camera and equipment suppliers. The UK has the most CCTV cameras - but it has been an utter fiasco as this report from This is London: ... More About: Health Care , Work , Human Rights , Democracy
Malaysia?s folk hero Raja Petra opts for jail to prove a point
2008-05-06 16:52:00 Spent the evening working with Mus on a press statement in response to the action taken against Raja Petra. It is just three days after we marked World Press Freedom Day. Not good. And downright depressing. But mind you, this move could backfire. It is high stakes poker, and I guess they didn’t anticipate that Raja Petra would ... More About: Media , Malaysia , Human Rights , Folk , Democracy
Farewell, blogger Rustam; welcome, blogger Mustafa
2008-05-04 19:00:00 And so the baton is passed in the relay of life. From one true Malaysian and leading public intellectual, Rustam, and his blog… …. to another, as Mustafa K Anuar, the asst secretary of Aliran, kicks off his blog with his first full entry on World Press Freedom Day. When Mus told me he was starting a blog, ... More About: Blogger , Farewell
Odds and ends on World Press Freedom Day
2008-05-03 11:20:00 I was about to wish you Happy World Press Freedom Day, but… …they are at it again. Harassing Raja Petra, that is, over his posting on Altantuya. What exquisite timing. Come on, give the guy a break. And give him back his laptop. Anyway my choice for quote of the day has got to be from ... More About: Media , Environment
Bridge near Shanghai works out cheaper per km than second Penang bridge
2008-05-02 18:19:00 Is the cost of the second Penang bridge way too high? China yesterday inaugurated one of the longest sea bridges in the world - a six-lane 36km link (27km over sea) to connect Jiaxing city near Shanghai with Ningbo in the province of Zhejiang. And what is the cost? 11.8 billion yuan, which is RM5.3 billion ... More About: Public Transport , Works , Bridge
Penang Turf Club: Here come the vultures
2008-05-01 05:41:00 As expected, barely has the dust settled from Abad Naluri’s failed attempt to get the PGCC moving than renewed interest has been shown in the Turf Club land in Batu Gantung. The talk in the market is that a major property player involved in the building of shopping malls in KL has been showing interest in ... More About: Environment , Penang , Accountability , Vultures
Banana-leaf lunch with cartoonist extraordinaire Zunar and blogger Fazlina
2008-04-29 20:21:00 One of the most rewarding aspects of my line of work is that I get to meet some outstanding Malaysians. Really cool people. Like Malaysia’s most famous political cartoonist, Zunar, and his wife Fazlina, who runs the Roti Kacang Merah blog. A couple of colleagues - Ramakrishnan of Aliran and Kris, a human rights activist - and ... More About: Media , Blogger , Banana , Lunch , Leaf
How different will the Pakatan?s economic policies be?
2008-04-28 18:18:00 Everyone knows that the Pakatan is trying to promote greater accountability and transparency. In terms of its Malaysian Economic Agenda, it wants to help those in need. But beyond that, we know little about its economic orientation. How much will it rely on the open market and how much on state intervention. What kind of mix? ... More About: Accountability , Policies
Thank God for the ?mega setback? to Penang infrastructure projects
2008-04-27 17:53:00 Today, I just want to thank God for confounding the proponents of the mega transport projects in Penang and delaying them (just like he confounded those pushing for the PGCC project). The bridge partners are now arguing about cost apportioning and design costs - and the project hasn’t even started! Porr, on the other hand, ... More About: Environment , Projects , Infrastructure , Public Transport
Abdullah?s last stand
2008-04-25 17:05:00 In the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, a hopelessly outnumbered General Custer, along with his Seventh Cavalry of the United States Army, was defeated by a combined Lakota-Northern Cheyenne force. Custer and his forces were outnumbered at least three to one. When the end came, it was swift, the final battle lasting only ... More About: Human Rights , Democracy , Accountability , Judiciary , Stand
Malaysia?s leading public intellectual Rustam Sani passes on
2008-04-23 03:13:00 This morning, at around 2.30am, Rustam Sani, social critic, political analyst, author of books on Malay and Malaysia n nationalism, former lecturer and politician, newspaper columnist and fellow blogger, passed away. He had been unwell for some time. Rustam Sani, an Aliran member, was famously described by Jomo as “arguably Malaysia’s leading public intellectual”. It was only ... More About: Public , Democracy , Intellectual , Leading
Independent ACA: Oh, really?
2008-04-22 08:29:00 I hate to pour cold water on the euphoria over the announcement of an independent ACA. But what else can you think when you read between the lines of the following NST/Bernama report? Notice that what will be independent is the Advisory Board to the ACA. So the board can only advise the ACA, but presumably ... More About: Accountability , Independent
Watch out! They are still talking about monorail and Porr
2008-04-21 12:20:00 Let’s face it. An underground rail system would be too expensive for Penang and, with 700,000 people on the island, it is doubtful if Penang has the passenger loads to justify such a heavy investment. They say a subway system would cost many times what a monorail would. But even a 35-km monorail network would cost ... More About: Watch , Public Transport , Talking
An impassioned plea to save the environment
2008-04-20 08:51:00 Food for reflection from a 12-year-old this Sunday: Who is she? According to Wikipedia: Severn Cullis-Suzuki (born 1979) is an environmental activist, speaker, television host and author. Born to writer Tara Elizabeth Cullis and Canadian geneticist and environmental activist David Suzuki, Cullis-Suzuki received a B.Sc. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Yale University in 2002. She has ... More About: Environment , Poverty , Save , The Environment
5 state govts back call for ISA detainees? release, Guan Eng tells Makkal S
2008-04-19 17:55:00 No letting up: Some 2,000 Makkal Sakthi and Hindraf supporters call for release of ISA detainees For one moment, it looked as if the general election campaign was not yet over. The orange shirts were back in numbers. A similar crowd had packed the Penang Chinese Town Hall in the run-up to the general election. Makkal Sakthi ... More About: Human Rights , Back , Release , State , Call
Powerful corporate interests penetrate Penang local councils
2008-04-19 07:23:00 Just got a text message from an unhappy political scientist friend, who forwarded to me an sms that he had sent to a DAP rep in Penang : People not happy with councillors appoint & list. old wine in new bottle. expect you guys to deliver your promises during election. Also received another email from a concerned Penangite. ... More About: Environment , Corporate , Human Rights , Democracy
LIVE COVERAGE: PM announces Judicial Commission, stops short of apology
2008-04-17 15:20:00 2145: The announcement of an ex gratia payment/financial compensation has not gone down well with some of the lawyers present. There is some discussion at the dinner tables as to whether it would look as if judges could be sacked and later paid off as a crude way of saying sorry. One ... More About: Democracy , Live , Accountability , Judiciary , Commission
Why spend only RM4 million on trams when you can spend billions on mega pro
2008-04-16 18:34:00 The old tram tracks of George Town, freshly uncovered and preserved on Penang Road. Getting a basic tram service up and running will cost only RM4 million, says a consultant. George Town once had a remarkable public transport system. It had these fascinating trams, which were affordable and people friendly. Cities across the world, especially heritage cities, ... More About: Environment , Accountability , Million , Mega
Ten reasons why the second Penang Bridge is not a great idea
2008-04-15 17:59:00 Controversial second bridge: The site at Batu Kawan on the mainland as it looks now It will add to traffic congestion on the island. Even with an additional third lane, the existing Penang Bridge is expected to become congested again in a few years. That’s the rationale for building a new bridge. But then, what will happen ... More About: Great , Idea , Reasons
The Hanging Flowerpots of Butterworth
More articles from this author:2008-04-14 14:17:00 Unnecessary structures: Flimsy covered phone booths that fell apart soon after being installed Weird and tacky lamp-posts: Each lamp-post had the letters MPSP up in lights! Notice the hooks where flower pots once hung (you can just about see the hooks below the four lamps). What they didn’t factor in was what a tough job watering ... More About: Accountability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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