David vs Goliath: MPPP vs Boustead

LETTER to the Editor which landed in my blog:

The Penang Forum, a coalition of public interest groups and individuals, notes with dismay that Boustead is claiming compensation from the MPPP for consequential losses in having to reduce its hotel from 12 to five storeys. Before the matter develops further, perhaps Boustead would wish to reconsider its position carefully taking the long-term big-picture view and the following.

Boustead should not have been given approval for 12 storeys in a heritage area in the first place by the previous administration. It was the Federal Government that chose to apply for and accept having George Town and Melaka jointly inscribed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site, which brought with it several obligations, one of which was to restrict the height of new buildings in the core zone. The Penang Government was merely its fulfilling international obligation. Not to have done so was unthinkable; losing the listing so soon after getting it would have been extremely damaging for our international reputation.

Our MPs are dying…

First Hulu Selangor now Sibu…what is the message here?
We continue to elect ‘unhealthy’ parliament and state representatives.
Perhaps they should go through a health check first? Should be one of the requirements of the EC.

My condolences anyway to the families of both. And I pity my colleagues who have to go through these by-elections.

I covered a few in the earlier days, no joke at all! Hard work all the way. Lets hope we have more peaceful days in the northern region.

More images for your viewing pleasure.

(images by wits! thanks!)

Four stories for you.

Hi,  I did four stories for Malaysiakini today, but they are all buried way down below. There’s too many stories on APCO, Hulu Selangor and Parliament, that other stories gets the “low priority”. So, I am pulling them out here so you won’t miss them:

1. Anwar kena ‘sodomised’ by old frens, now enemies:
A bare-all ceramahMCPXin Penang rained allegations down on Anwar Ibrahim’s character, credibility and integrity, in a bid to run down the opposition leader’s ability to lead the nation. Read MORE here.

2. Pakatan ‘bad boys’ sabo UMNO/Malay NGO ceramah? Tsk..tsk…
“They told me they were extorted, threatened and there was even a police report lodged against the organisers of the event,” alleged Rizal at the two hour ceramah last night. “Their banners, buntings and posters were ripped apart and shredded into pieces.” Read MORE here.

3. BN jealous!

Saying that detractors were having a case of ‘sour grapes’, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has lashed out at the Barisan Nasional for labeling the state government’s monetary appreciation programme for senior citizens as a ‘gimmick’. Read MORE here.

4. Local elections can cause racial imbalances, meh?

Putrajaya’s claim that local elections should not be held as it could cause imbalances in racial representation, is unfounded as the benefits of participatory democracy far outweighs any ethnic encumbrances, said a former advisor to the United Nations. Read MORE here.