anilnetto.comanilnetto.comThe journalism and other writings of Anil Netto - featuring real journalism in the cause of justice, freedom and solidarity Articles
The torturous truth can be disturbing - even at the movies
2008-01-16 15:49:00 Sometimes, when you want to get away from it all, you head to the cinema and escape into a fantasy world. But once in a while, you come across a film that gets too close to reality for comfort. “Rendition” is one such movie - featuring a cast of Academy Award winners, it is an ... More About: Movies , Truth , United States , Human Rights , At The Movies
MPPP must rise to the occasion this Friday and reject PGCC
2008-01-15 13:38:00 Will they or won’t they? Throw a spanner into the PGCC works, that is. The full council of the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) will sit on Friday , 18 January 2007 in a meeting that could very well decide the fate of the Penang Global City Centre project. They will listen to the recommendations of the sub-committee on ... More About: Environment , Democracy , Rise , Malaysian politics
PGCC: DOE tries to get away with only preliminary EIA
2008-01-14 07:06:00 I hear that the Department of the Environment quietly approved a preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment of the Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) project way back on 2 March 2007. A “one-stop centre” meeting approved the preliminary EIA, subject to various conditions (e.g. flood control, air quality, noise pollution, waste disposal) after technical issues were ... More About: Democracy , Malaysian politics
Malaysian polls observers declare Uzbek ?non-election? fair
2008-01-08 09:56:00 So a six-men Malaysian election observer team, led by the Malaysian Election Commission deputy chairman, have declared the Uzbekistan elections as “fair” even though critics have described it as a “non-election”. Remember, the Uzbekistan government is notorious for torturing dissidents and even putting them in boiling pots. Check out this analysis: Murray began receiving photographs and other evidence ... More About: Politics , Europe , Democracy
Palm oil, palm oil everywhere, but only a few drops to cook?
2008-01-07 15:32:00 Only in Malaysia…. Malaysia - world’s second largest palm oil producer. (Indonesia is now the world’s largest producer.) The “new”Sime Darby - world’s largest listed palm oil producer. And yet, rationing has been imposed: 5kg buying limit on cooking oil PUTRAJAYA: Five kilograms ? that is the maximum amount of cooking oil that each consumer can buy when a move ... More About: Palm , Accountability , Cook , Agrobusiness , Palm Oil
BN?s give-and-take policy
2008-01-06 10:35:00 Seems to me the BN has mastered the art of “give and take” in administering the nation. Give : Letter officially approving the new publication permit of The Herald Catholic Weekly - without any condition, allowing it to publish in all languages. (Hooray!) Take: Cabinet decision to bar The Herald from using the word “Allah”. (Alas, the earlier ... More About: Policy
The grave sins of Chua Soi Lek
2008-01-03 06:38:00 A friend of mine in the UK just sent me this message: I particularly take the point about the growing effectiveness of blogging and the ways in which Youtube and other such sites are serving to spread the truth of ministerial corruption and pposition dissent. I have a particular dislike of personalised politics, with individuals being ... More About: Health Care , Sins , Neo-liberal economics , Grave , Chua Soi Lek
2,000 gather in Penang to call for release of Hindraf Five
2008-01-02 09:53:00 Some 2,000 Indian Malaysians gathered at the Waterfall Temple in Penang on New Year’s Day to pray and call for the release of the five Hindraf leaders held under the ISA. A barber was in attendance at the temple premises to shave the heads of about 50 people, including one woman, who decided to go bald ... More About: Release , Call , Gather
Good news: Herald receives new publishing permit!
2007-12-30 09:03:00 Some good news at long last. Just got a call from The Herald editor, Fr Lawrence Andrew. The Herald has received its new annual publishing permit - without any condition! Nothing mentioned about the use of the word “Allah”; and no order for it to drop its Malay-language section. The new permit was hand-delivered to the ... More About: News , Christianity , Media , Iraq , Good News
Herald permit: Divide-and-rule rears its ugly head?
2007-12-24 10:21:00 Publication permit in doubt: The Herald has provided prominent coverage of recent demonstrations and other human rights issues even as the mainstream media abdicate their responsibility Four years ago, Christian Malaysians were overjoyed when Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi sent Christmas greetings to their various churches and congregations. It was an astute gesture that touched ... More About: Christianity , Islam , Human Rights , Poverty , Democracy
Samy Vellu booed on ?live? TV; are his political days numbered?
2007-12-23 05:53:00 MIC president Samy Vellu was booed and publicly humiliated when he turned up to officiate at the Aattam 100 Vagai 3 (100 types of dance) performance at the Penang International Sports Arena (Pisa) last night. Sources tell me the crowd of 2,000-3,000 shouted obscenities at him including “po-dah” (the rude version of “get lost”) and ... More About: Political , Poverty , Democracy , Live , Days
Why are Malaysians so restless these days?
2007-12-18 10:42:00 What is fuelling the protests and rallies and candlelight vigils and prayer gatherings? If we look at the Hindraf protest, it would be easy to conclude that the main issue is ethnic and religious discrimination, which has left many Indian Mala ysians feeling disgruntled. But then again, it is not only Indian Malays ians who have protested. In the ... More About: Days , Restless
Activists hold candle-light vigil in Penang on a dark day for democracy
2007-12-13 16:15:00 Some two dozen activists and other concerned Malaysians held a candlelight vigil in central George Town, Penang to uphold the right to freedom of assembly on a day which saw five Hindraf leaders detained under the ISA. The small crowd, which included Aliran and Suaram members, gathered at 8.50pm at the Penang Road/Kimberley Road junction, under ... More About: Human Rights , Democracy , Dark , Light
Wielding the big stick and sweeping issues under the Putrajaya rug
2007-12-11 11:24:00 More arrests today. This time largely targeting the Bersih group and the Hindraf leaders. I have lost track of the number of people arrested, released, re-arrested, denied bail, charged with illegal assembly, “causing mischief”, “attempted murder”, sedition… All this while the Attorney General personally appears in court and tries to deny people bail. What on earth is ... More About: Issues , Human Rights , Democracy , Accountability , Stick
Climate change: Too little, too late?
2007-12-10 12:13:00 This snippet from a World Development Movement blog entry from the UN Framework Conference on Climate Change in Bali got me worried - and as it should you too. While we carry on our lives as usual, we remain blissfully unaware that the very survival of our planet is at stake. ”The science says that ... More About: United States , Environment
On the eve of World Human Rights Day, Malaysia?s bravest lawyers are arrest
2007-12-09 07:02:00 Five lawyers and three activists were arrested this morning when they attempted to march in Kuala Lumpur ahead of World Human Rights Day tomorrow. That they should be arrested while trying to uphold the right to freedom of assembly rights shows us just what the authorities think of human rights. It reveals utter contempt of basic ... More About: Christianity , Malaysia , Lawyers , Arrest
Farmers lose autonomy as MNCs take control of agriculture
2007-12-06 15:28:00 Farmers are under increasing pressure from multinational corporations, which in many parts of the world are planning to take control over the entire food production and distribution chain. This leaves farmers at the mercy of these MNCs for seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, sales and distribution. In the end, the farmers will lose their autonomy and independence and ... More About: Workers , Agriculture , Democracy , Control , Agrobusiness
?The Light? and PGCC cast a shadow over Penang
2007-12-04 00:35:00 What they showed you: Night view (towards George Town) of the PGCC’s “iconic towers” (Image from the official PGCC launch booklet) What they didn’t show you: Add in 37 towers (Image editing by the PGCC Campaign Group) Nightmare scenario of the PGCC project! (Image editing by the PGCC Campaign Group) Even before the PGCC can take off, ... More About: Environment , Penang , Shadow , Cast , Light
Just a reminder: Have you registered as a voter?
2007-12-02 09:30:00 Make sure you check your voter registration details. Click here to verify. More About: Democracy , Civil society , Reminder , Regis , Remi
Umno state assembly member criticises PGCC project
2007-12-01 14:31:00 This is an actual picture of the Turf Club land and the surrounding low-rise properties. (Photo credit: PGCC Campaign Group) This is what it would look like with towers… gulp! The towers here are replicas of 37 existing towers from all over George Town transplanted to the Turf Club site (The wonders ... More About: Politics , Environment , Assembly , Project , State
Look who?s breathing down Patrick?s neck?
2007-11-30 15:36:00 Priceless moment: A bemused Patrick Lim, the developer of the Penang Global City Centre, turns to look at heritage conservationist Loh-Lim Lin Lee as she presents the PGCC Campaign Group’s grave concerns about his mega project during the Penang Local Government Consultative Forum on 23 November. On Patrick’s right is Nasrine Seraji, the PGCC master ... More About: Environment , Neck
Can Media Prima take on Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini?
2007-11-29 06:47:00 This is a piece I wrote for Asia Times about Media Prima’s intention to plunge into the Internet in a big way, ostensibly to diversify its revenue base and tap into on-line advertising revenue. Telekom Malaysia is spending billions to prepare the ground with high-speed broadband around the country. Though the main focus of Media ... More About: Human Rights , Today , Democracy
When human rights activists let their hair down?
2007-11-29 06:45:00 The Aliran Singers re-united and in full flow! Aliran turns 30: A heart-warming celebration of justice It was all so different from the official Merdeka celebrations, monopolised and dominated by members of the ruling coalition, recalls Anil Netto, of a night to remember. Full article Why not support the cause of human rights and justice by subscribing ... More About: Politics , Media , Workers , Human , Rights
Penang Global City Centre: Spot the difference!
2007-11-28 06:21:00 This is the PGCC (based on Equine’s model of the 38 towers) (Patrick Lim is on the right) And this isn’t? (The PGCC campaign group’s model of the PGCC which PGCC master planner Nasrine Seraji says is based on a “misunderstanding of the masterplan”) (photo credit: Sin Chew from Nasrine’s powerpoint presentation) So what is the ... More About: Environment , Global , Spot , Penang , City
Bersih and Hindraf gatherings: An awakening of the marginalised
2007-11-24 18:48:00 Two huge protest gatherings - or attempted gatherings - in the space of 15 days in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Amazing! But what does this tell us? A few things, actually: More and more Malaysians are casting off their fear of the repressive powers of the state. That was abundantly clear in the ... More About: Awake , Awakening , Erin , Gathering
Asean embraces a rogue regime while inking a Charter for Big Business
2007-11-21 07:10:00 So the Asean leaders have signed a Charter in the wonderfully democratic nation of Singapore in the company of leaders from Burma’s rogue regime. (Check out this excellent documentary “Burma’s Secret War”.) Each member nation now has to take the Charter back to their home countries so that it can be ratified by their respective ... More About: Business , Big Business , Human Rights , Neo-liberal economics
No need for institutional reform? You gotta be kidding!
2007-11-18 16:07:00 Here is the Al Jazeera panel discussion (in two parts) on the 10 Nov rally to demand electoral reforms. The panelists were Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy, de facto Law Minister Nazri (Umno as well) and human rights lawyer Imtiaz. Here’s an excerpt. Nazri tries to keep up with the fast-paced discussion by repeating his mantra ... More About: Kidding , Reform , Human Rights , Institutional , Civil society
Beware those who want to hijack Malaysia?s People Power movement
2007-11-17 06:43:00 In a parting shot, Thierry Rommel, the Europe an ambassador who left his post on Tuesday, castigated the Malaysia n government for its deplorable human rights record and the “discriminatory” New Economic Policy (NEP). News reports quoted Rommel as saying the executive in Malaysia is “all-powerful and not accountable” while the judiciary remains beholden to the executive because ... More About: Power , People , Human Rights
?Iconic towers? or eyesores?
2007-11-15 15:31:00 If our experience with “iconic towers” in Penang is any indication, then look out for what could happen with other towers in the pipeline. Thanks to a reader for bringing these to my attention: Sad-looking Komtar: Why has its viewing gallery become a store? And here’s a blocked fire-escape Cardboard on the windows ... More About: Environment
?No matter the regime?s physical power, in the end they can?t stop the peop
More articles from this author:2007-11-13 05:51:00 Those words uttered by Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi could well apply to Malaysia. Was it a stalemate on 10 Nov? After all, the demonstrators had been thwarted from gathering at Dataran Merdeka in the city centre. They were unable to reach the gates of the palace to hand in their memorandum. So what had they ... More About: Power , Physical , Human Rights , Democracy , Matter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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