anilnetto.comanilnetto.comThe journalism and other writings of Anil Netto - featuring real journalism in the cause of justice, freedom and solidarity Articles
Roses for PM day - updates
2008-02-16 02:47:00 It looks like it is going to be another eventful day. Before going further, check out Subramaniam Pillay’s piece Hindraf rally: A plea of the dispossessed? on the reasons for the emergence of Hindraf and Makkal Sakthi. 9.02am - Just received a phone call informing me that a group of people from Penang heading ... More About: Roses , Updates
Writing?s on the wall for Samy Vellu
2008-02-15 02:42:00 Hostile reception: Police moving in to escort Samy Vellu to his car after he was surrounded by angry youths at a Tamil school groundbreaking ceremony in Petaling Jaya Wednesday. (Photo credit: The Star) I nearly missed this picture in The Star. The MIC leader certainly doesn’t look too happy. In fact, he can’t go anywhere ... More About: Writing , Wall , Malaysian politics , The wall
Will the next US president say ?No? to War and Occupation?
2008-02-14 07:46:00 Unlikely. You see, war is a profitable business in the United States . Apart from boosting weapons sale, it is also Big Business for mercenary private contractors and “reconstruction” companies, which stand to make huge profits. The United States spends close to US$1 trillion on “defence” and it has over 700 military bases around the world. Disruptions ... More About: President , Militarism
Samy Vellu in ?top form?
2008-02-14 02:18:00 Here’s a clip of the man himself, obviously in “top form”. A lot of bravado. He says “the BN will win 100 per cent because this is one government in South-East Asia that truly fulfils its promises to the people”. Why, his opponents are “already dead” or they simply “don’t exist”. We shall see on polling day. ... More About: Form , Malaysian politics
Samy Vellu walks out in a huff after students fail to humour him
2008-02-13 12:32:00 Samy Vellu again. This time at an MIC-organised meet-the-students function at the City Bayview Hotel in Penang yesterday evening. Present were about 200 STPM Indian Malaysian students and college students from around Penang who were probably invited through Indian students’ societies. One source told me the students falied to humour and “cooperate” with Samy Vellu and they ... More About: Humour , Students , Huff , Walks , Malaysian politics
Parliament dissolved: How can you trust such a leader?
2008-02-13 05:37:00 So Parliament has been dissovled. And Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has got off to the worst possible start over something as critical as the date for the dissolution of the Federal Parliament to pave the way for the 12th General Election. It was only yesterday that he denied that Parliament would be dissolved today. I mean, how ... More About: Trust , Malaysian politics , Leader
Makkal Sakthi drama at Penang CM?s office
2008-02-12 12:02:00 Some 300 Indian Malaysians from the Makkal Sakthi (”People Power”) movement, many of them clad in their trademark orange, gathered at Komtar this morning in an attempt to meet Penang Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon at his office. With them was five-year-old Vwaishnavi Waythamoorthy, the only daughter of one of the five detained Hindraf ... More About: Office , Drama
End of the road for biofuels?
2008-02-10 05:23:00 The science has finally confirmed what many people had already guessed: clearing land to produce biofuels will increase greenhouse emissions. In fact, it will take many years for the beneficial effects of using biofuels to compensate for the harmful effect of clearing the land. This is the most damning statistic, cited by the Wall Street Journal: “Draining ... More About: Environment , Road , Biofuels , The Road
?You know-lah?
2008-02-08 09:52:00 The other day, I was waiting for a train. It was late by more than half an hour and crowds were already milling around on the platform. An elderly couple stood nearby, wondering what was happening. Before long, the gentleman walked up to me and asked if it was usual for trains here to be ...
GM mosquitoes to be released in Malaysia on large scale?
2008-02-06 05:07:00 Just spotted this Wired news report on an experiment with genetically modified mosquitoes - and the company “envisions releasing the insects in Malaysia on a large scale in three years”. Gulp! Engineered Mosquitoes Could Wipe Out Dengue Fever ... More About: Environment , Health Care , Released , Agrobusiness
After stalling RM25bil project, PGCC Campaign Group calls for Local Plans i
2008-02-04 16:07:00 Fresh from their success in stalling the PGCC project, the civil society PGCC Campaign Group held a press conference yesterday to put forward their position and demands. Essentially, the civil society groups are asking for Local Plans to be prepared first - with full public participation - before any development can be approved. Once the Local ... More About: Environment , Project , Calls
Corporate takeover of agriculture gathers pace
2008-02-03 16:49:00 More worrying developments regarding the corporate takeover of agriculture. Nestle is eyeing the commercialisation of traditional red rice varieties in Sarawak. It is also trying to promote contract farming - perhaps something similar to what Sime Darby has in mind for the Northern Corridor. It is presumptuous that these huge multinational corporations think they can teach traditional ... More About: Workers , Takeover , Corporate , Agriculture , Pace
Mainstream media poised to turn into BN propaganda channels
2008-02-02 14:53:00 It has already started. I mean, the propaganda over the mainstream media. This time we can expect it to be worse, given that the Barisan Nasional is going to face stiff contests in many areas. So what are we to do? It does get sickening as polling day approaches when whatever remaining journalistic ethics are thrown ... More About: Media , Propaganda , Democracy , Channels , Turn
Drop in donations for Batu Caves supports eye-witness impressions of turnou
2008-02-01 10:21:00 The Batu Caves temple authorities have made public their takings for this year’s Thaipusam celebrations. Malaysiakini reported that the temple collected only RM1.04 million this year compared to RM1.8 million last year - that’s a 42 per cent plunge in takings. That’s assuming all the money has been properly accounted for. This corroborates the impressions of eye-witness ... More About: Witness , Accountability , Civil society , Impressions , Donations
Lingam inquiry: Cowing civil society into silence?
2008-02-01 02:51:00 So the Commission of Inquiry thinks that Aliran’s statement on the refusal of the Commission to call in certain witnesses is “on the verge” of contempt. That is so sad. They expect civil society to sit back and stomach the sort of testimony that is being offered in total silence while potentially important witnesses are left ... More About: Society , Democracy , Judiciary , Civil , Silence
Suharto dies with blood on his hands - but did he really improve the lot of
2008-01-30 16:54:00 A lot of blood. More than 500,000 - perhaps close to a million - in the mid-1960s, as a result of a communist purge, which also targeted peasants. Then came the invasion of East Timor, which led to a loss of some 180,000 lives. There there were the tens of thousands of Indonesians killed in places like ... More About: United States , Human Rights , Neo-liberal economics , Hands , Blood
Vincent Tan denies he is influential; so tell us about the Sports Toto priv
2008-01-29 14:01:00 Malaysiakini has just reported that Vincent Tan has denied that he had much influence under the Mahathir administration: He also said that it was a ?real joke? to suggest that Mahathir consulted him on the appointment of judges as indicated in a video clip which featured lawyer VK Lingam. ?If I am so influential, I would have ... More About: Sports , Accountability , Toto , Judiciary
Joke of the week
2008-01-29 11:38:00 So far, Malaysians have been entertained by the almost farcical proceedings of the commission of inquiry into the Lingam tape. Come on, we all know the real state of the judiciary. But the joke of the week must be in the Malaysiakini headline just now. I burst out laughing when I read it. “Dr M fears ... More About: Joke , Democracy , Week
Lingam drops another bombshell in new video
2008-01-28 07:37:00 This is truly scandalous and implicates another former top judge. Lingam also talks about his New Zealand holiday with Eusoff Chin. More About: Video , Accountability , Judiciary , Malaysian politics , Bombs
Qur?an: ?Tuhan kami, juga Tuhan kamu, adalah Satu?
2008-01-28 04:08:00 This is the Malay translation of verse 29:46 from the Qur’an obtained from here: Dan janganlah kamu berbahas dengan Ahli Kitab melainkan dengan cara yang lebih baik, kecuali orang-orang yang berlaku zalim di antara mereka dan katakanlah (kepada mereka): Kami beriman kepada (Al-Quran) yang diturunkan kepada kami dan kepada (Taurat dan Injil) yang diturunkan kepada kamu ...
Makkal Sakthi fever hits Penang
2008-01-26 16:58:00 “Makkal Sakthi (People Power)!” thundered speaker after speaker. “Valga (Long live)!” roared back the crowd. I thought I would check out the atmosphere at the DAP ceramah at the Penang Chinese Town Hall in George Town tonight to gauge the mood among voters. The theme: “Bebaskan Hindraf 5 (Free the Hindraf Five).” When I arrived at ... More About: Human Rights , Poverty , Democracy , Hits
Another step towards justice for murdered activist Munir
2008-01-26 11:52:00 The long struggle to find out who killed Indonesia’s leading human rights activist Munir Thalib received a major boost when Indonesia’s Supreme Court convicted Polycarpus Priyanto, an ex-pilot for national airline Garuda, of poisoning Munir with arsenic during an international flight. But Indonesian police need to get to the bottom of this conspiracy once and for ... More About: Justice , Human Rights , Accountability , Global justice movement , Asean
Penang civil society groups not letting down guard after stalling PGCC
2008-01-25 15:40:00 This speaks for itself. Some people are saying the government’s change of heart is just an election gimmick. But there was intense pressure from civil society groups and ordinary Malaysians upset over losing a green lung and horrified what the traffic would be like. It just goes to show what ordinary people can do, if they ... More About: Society , Environment , Democracy , Penang , Letting
Eusoff-Lingam New Zealand trip photos
2008-01-25 06:34:00 Check out the pictures of the “coincidental” holiday encounter reproduced on the website of the Malaysian Bar. Nice bonding between the two families, I must say. More About: Photos , New Zealand , Trip , Judiciary , Zealand
A new movement springs to life as Thaipusam devotees shun Batu Caves, thron
2008-01-23 03:33:00 Update - 8.45 pm, Penang: Some 2,000 Hindu Malaysians, clad in the orange of Makkal Sakthi, are on the streets, chanting, “Hindraf! Hindraf! Long live Hindraf!” It’s confirmed: The boycott of Batu Cave s for the Thaipusam festival has been a success. Tens - perhaps hundreds - of thousands of Hindu Malaysian devotees have boycotted Batu ... More About: Life , Shun
Lingam inquiry: Memory loss epidemic spreads among witnesses
2008-01-23 03:05:00 An impartial observer from Mars sitting in at the Lingam video inquiry would be forgiven for thinking that there is an outbreak of amnesia and dementia in Malaysia. Witnesses don’t seem to remember basic details. Why, Lingam was even unable to positively identify himself in the video, uttering the now legendary words, “It looks like ... More About: Memory , Democracy , Spreads , Judiciary
The real truth about Palestine: Occupation
2008-01-21 14:54:00 Many of us tend to think that Palestine is a “Muslim issue”. But it is not. Do you know, for instance, that Bethlehem, the birth-place of Jesus Christ, lies in Palestinian territory? In any case, it shouldn’t matter what religion the Palestinians are. It is a question of humanity and basic justice. A question of Occupation: ... More About: Truth , Media , United States , Real
Enticing Hindu Malaysian voters with Thaipusam holiday
2008-01-20 16:58:00 Predictably, the PM has extended the Thaipusam public holiday to KL and Putrajaya. (Check out this revealing eye-witness account of the MIC-gathering tonight.) All I can say is that they must be desperate to win back support from Indian Malays ian voters, many of whom are sympathetic with Hindraf or have vowed to vote for the ... More About: Holiday , Voters , Hindu
We believe in one God/Allah
2008-01-19 13:22:00 Just came across this verse from the Qur’an 29:46, which I think speaks for itself: And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, “We believe in the revelation which has come down to ... More About: Christianity , Islam , Allah , Alla
Major blow for Patrick Lim, Equine, as Penang Govt stalls PGCC project
More articles from this author:2008-01-18 16:49:00 Who says that ordinary people can’t make a difference? In the end, it took 2,500 postcards, 500 emails and a concerted civil society campaign to convince Penang Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon that it would be politically costly for the government to proceed with this project. It is a fact that many Penangites and all those who ... More About: Environment , Project , Democracy , Patrick 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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