Malaysians dress in White while Mahathir’s Family dress in black.
“Shared Prosperity Vision 2030”
Malay congress to thwart Harapan’s succession plan
If there is an honest effort to mobilise the Malays for their social, economic and political advancement, nobody will have any serious objections.
In fact, Malaysians will welcome this move as long as this congress does not stray into another race and religion baiting.
But there are no grounds to say that the MDC will be anything but race and religion baiting for the benefit of some section of Malay leaders who have abandoned Umno to come into Bersatu, following the last general election.
This group or individuals, former Umno leaders, especially those who have joined Bersatu are behind this MDC.
In the name of Malay dignity, this group of former Umno leaders, are using four public universities as their cover behind this congress.
Strange that the Education Minister Maszlee Malik, knowing this, has nonetheless allowed the four universities to be used for political purposes. So much for the reform-minded minister.
The congress has nothing to do with Malay dignity but more about certain groups of individuals and former Umno members wanting to organise a gathering to ingratiate themselves to the powers in Pakatan Harapan, particularly Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
With the slow but sure development of crony kleptocracy, these leaders or organisers who have been left out of the economic gravy train for some time, are clamouring for economic goodies from the Harapan government.
What better way to show their presence or importance other than to organise this congress, invite Mahathir to give the opening address and provide some semblance of neutrality by inviting PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
But the congress is anything but neutral.
It is meant to shore up political support for Mahathir to continue as the prime minister and not to give up power to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim (photo).
In a way, there is an obvious realignment of the gathering of forces among those in Bersatu as well as from outside to support Mahathir from adhering to the Harapan succession plan.
In a nutshell, the MDC is all about shoring up support for Mahathir from giving up power to Anwar.
In fact, from a broader perspective, the MDC represents the coming together of disparate forces within Bersatu, Umno and PAS to thwart the chances of Anwar from becoming the next prime minister.
It is not that those who oppose Anwar love Mahathir. It is a large political game that has been rehearsed and played out for the kind of politics to emerge in the aftermath of Mahathir’s period as the prime minister.
If they can neutralise Anwar on the succession matter by shedding crocodile tears for Mahathir to continue, then the way might be paved for the realisation of the political fruits even if Umno-PAS coalition comes to power in the next general election.
This group behind the congress might be in Bersatu, but mind you, they have no political loyalty as such. They are only loyalty to those in power and what they can get in terms of material benefits, such as contracts and projects, just as in the heyday of Umno.
Whether Mahathir knows about the ulterior motives of this group or individuals behind the congress is not clear.
However, his flippancy towards the succession matter might indicate that he is not completely free in deciding on the succession matter. The whole idea is to abandon the Harapan agreement on succession.
I think that Mahathir should not have agreed to attend the congress knowing very well the ulterior motives of the organisers.
But he did, even in the realisation that Anwar was not invited.
There was no way they could have extended the invitation to Anwar when the entire thrust of the congress was to oppose him from becoming the prime minister.
The most unfortunate or tragic thing is that once again Malays are taken for a ride by self-seeking and opportunist politicians for their greed.
P RAMASAMY is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and the state assemblyperson for Perai.
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ALLAH WILL DEFINITELY PUNISH MAHATHIR FOR HIS GREED.
WHAT IS THE USE OF BEING A LEADER WHEN ONE DOES NOT CARE FOR THE RAKYAT AND NATION BUT ONLY HIS OWN FAMILY.
TODAY IS NINE EMPEROR GODS DAY. LET US ALL PRAY THAT MALAYSIANS WILL DRESS IN WHITE WHILE MAHATHIR’S FAMILY DRESS IN BLACK.
GOD HAVE MERCY ON MALAYSIA.
The Not-So-Enigmatic Success Story Behind QL Resources?
CAVEAT: This is entirely MY OWN VIEW, I could be wrong here. It is mainly conjecture on my part.
It has been said when you wish to emulate someone, learn from the best. QL Resources, a shining star in terms of stock price performance for the last 15 years, did very well again in 2018 in spite of trying conditions.
QL was founded in 1987, but its roots stretch back to the late 1970s. In those early years, Dr Chia Song Kun and his brothers harvested the calcium-infused shells of dead mollusks from a remote shoreline near their home village, which they supplied to local feed millers. The hard-fought success of this modest business allowed them to expand their product range and open new branches across Malaysia.
After establishing a core business in feedstuff trading the company grew through adjacency expansion, which led to diversification into food for human consumption. QL now operates in three distinct sectors: Integrated Livestock Farming, which includes poultry farming, feedstuff trading and consumer brands; Marine Products Manufacturing, which includes surimi and fishmeal processing and consumer brands; and Palm Oil Activities, which includes milling, plantations and biomass clean energy.
QL’s strategy involves the deployment of technology, capital and management expertise into populous emerging markets. Despite new market challenges and geopolitical risks, regional expansion in adjacent ASEAN markets is fuelling QL’s medium and long-term growth.
Dr Chia and his team pursue a strategy of strengthening and additional integration of QL’s value chain. This provides the company with more opportunities to add value, multiplies its ability to generate profit, increases efficiency, mitigates the business cycle risk that often affects singular parts of a value chain, and ultimately ensures consistent quality in the final product. Greater competitive advantages are held over businesses in any one segment of the chain as a result.
QL’s marine products manufacturing division is the fastest-growing among its three business divisions. It is involved in deep-sea fishing, aquaculture farming, surimi and fishmeal productions. Presently, QL is the largest surimi producer in Asia. Over the last 10 years, QL has achieved a CAGR of 13.59% in revenues for this division. It has grown from RM245.4 million in 2007 to RM877.1 million in 2017.
QL’s livestock farming division remains the biggest revenue contributor to the group. It has grown as a result of organic growth and a series of acquisitions. In 2007, this division was producing 1.5 million eggs a day. In 2017, QL produces 4.6 million eggs a day. It also produces 40 million day-old chicks (DOC) and 20 million broilers and trades over 1 million metric tonnes of animal feed raw materials a year. Over the last 10 years, QL has achieved a CAGR of 10.50% in revenues for this division. It has grown steadily from RM657.2 million in 2007 to RM1.78 billion in 2017.
QL has achieved a CAGR of 14.04% in dividend payouts to its shareholders over the last 10 years. It has increased from RM14.3 million in 2007 to RM53.0 million in 2017. QL has maintained an average dividend payout ratio of 24.51% over the last 10 years. For the financial year ended 31 March 2017, QL declared 7.25 sen in dividend per share. It comprised 3.00 sen in special dividend and a final single-tier dividend of 4.25 sen. The special dividend is one-off and declared as a token of appreciation to reward its loyal shareholders. As at 4 September 2017, QL Resources share price is trading at RM4.82 a share. Excluding the special dividend, if QL is able to maintain its final single-tier dividend of 4.25 sen for the financial year 2018, its expected dividend yield is 0.88%.
As of May 2019, FamilyMart Malaysia opens its’ 100th store in Melaka, earmarks to open another 50 stores in FY19 towards their FY22 target of 300 stores. While operations are not expected to break even in FY19, management expects the store chain to become profitable in FY20 from an expected store base of around 120 branches.
Today QL has a coherent, complementary set of businesses with a combined objective: to add value to our broad, resource-based Group.
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Marine Products Manufacturing Activities
- We are the largest producer of surimi in Asia as well as the largest fishmeal and surimi-based products manufacturer in Malaysia.
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Palm Oil Activities
- We are the leading independent crude palm oil miller in Sabah, Malaysia.
- Own and manage a 1,200 HA mature palm oil estate, also in Sabah.
- In Eastern Kalimantan, Indonesia, we own and manage a 20,000 HA oil palm plantation, of which 5,000 HA are mature.
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Integrated Livestock Farming Activities
- We are one of Malaysia’s leading distributors of animal feed raw materials.
- We are also one of Malaysia’s leading poultry egg producers, with a production rate of approximately 3.2 million eggs per day.
- We are a leading integrated broiler producer in East Malaysia
So which company did Dr Chia Song Kun patterned (emulated) after? This is entirely MY OWN VIEW, I could be wrong here. It is mainly conjecture on my part. Coincidentally, or not, it was after another Chia family… but from Thailand. I think it was more than coincidence that both have the same surnames.
To be fair, QL after making great inroads into the agro-farming, livestock feed, marine farming… did venture into something big which CP did not have a natural advantage, i.e. palm oil. The Family Mart venture puts QL back on the CP treasure map (CP own’s the 7-11 franchise for Thailand, the best performing of all 7-11 franchises globally).
CP or Charoen Pokphand Group
Key Dates:
1921: Chia Brothers, from China, set up a seed shop in Bangkok’s Chinatown, then begin exporting poultry and pigs to Hong Kong.
1954: The company diversifies into animal feed production and launches a subsidiary, Charoen Pokphand Feedmill.
1964: Dhanin Chearavanont, son of one of the founders, takes over as company leader.
1970: The company launches a poultry breeding business in partnership with Arbor Acres of the United States.
1973: The company begins exporting poultry to Japan and becomes one of that market’s leaders.
1979: The company becomes the first foreign firm to invest in the Chinese market, opening a feed subsidiary in the Shenzhen economic trade zone.
1986: The company diversifies into shrimp production and becomes the world’s leader in this market.
1994: Lotus Supercenter retail network is launched in Thailand.
1998: The company restructures as a “focused” agribusiness.
2003: Dhanin Chearavanont is named one of Fortune magazine’s “World’s Most Powerful Business Leaders.”
Textbook Play
This post is in no way to dilute Dr. Chia’s business ability, rather, it is to highlight how an academic can parlay his book knowledge (case studies and research papers) with great entrepreneurship to bring about great businesses.
I am a great admirer of Dr. Chia. I would use the words “emulated” or “patterned” and NOT “copied”, when referring to QL’s achievements. I think Dr. Chia is easily Malaysia’s best business person for the past 50 years.
We all want to learn from the best. We buy good books on business, we pay for solid business centric magazines and papers – just to improve our knowledge and hopefully learn more about business insights and strategies. Dr. Chia is a fine example of learning from the best, parlaying his astute business knowledge, and executing very well.
CP In Everything Now
Just how much more can QL grow? Well, QL has managed to replicate CP’s top two businesses: Agro-Industry/Food and Retail/Distribution. That has taken a lot of effort for QL. We have to remember CP is so much bigger than QL because of its early mover advantage and a domestic population that is almost 3x the size of Malaysia.
Is QL Still Attractive As A Stock
Definitely yes. Just have a look at its long term share price chart. One caveat though, I think some investors have been too exuberant over the Family Mart business and has pushed its near term valuations on the high side. If I had been holding QL for more than 5 years, I would sell 2/3 at current valuations if not all BUT would definitely look to buyback when earnings start its next wave 0 when Family Marts shows better cash flows. Now Family Mart is in its capital expenditure phase.
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| http://andropausesuccor.com |
Starship robots for food delivery
Robots climb stairs as they begin first food deliveries in China and Japan – firm says they ‘express rich emotions’ with their eyes
- Pilot programs in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Tokyo deliver food to offices and dorms
- Humans deliver the food to office lobbies and robots go the ‘last mile’
- Agile wheeled robots can navigate elevators and even stars
China and Japan have unleashed a fleet of delivery robots for a test program in Bejing and Shenzhen.
Food delivery giant Meituan-Dianping has partnered with 10 hotels and office buildings to test a new mobile delivery robot to carry food deliveries to students and office workers at their desks or dorm rooms.
Unlike other delivery bots, these variants are designed to navigate both elevators and stairs to bring the order directly to your door — and they do so with a ‘smile”
However, the program still relies on a human delivery person to bring the food to the office building lobby or carry it onto the university campus, but once there the robot’s take over.
The Chinese food delivery giant Meituan-Dianping is testing robot delivery vehicles (pictured above) to help deal with rising demand in China
Meituan-Dianping has targeted offices and universities in part because their layouts are easier to navigate than bustling city centers.
The robots can navigate both elevators and stairs.
According to the head of Meituan’s autonomous delivery department, who spoke at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in China earlier this year, the program is meant to help the company deal with rapidly growing demand for its delivery services, CNBC reported.
By 2025, Meituan expects to deliver three times as much food as it does currently, and it expects to hire and additional 30,000 to 35,000 human delivery workers to work alongside the robots.
The CarrieRo Deli (pictured above) is being tested in Japan. Developed by Japanese tech company ZMP, the robots are considered a ‘last mile delivery service’
In Japan, companies are turning to robots to make up for a workforce that’s estimated to have shrunk by 20% by 2040.
The Japanese tech company ZMP Inc. has developed a food delivery robot called CarriRo Deli, a ‘last-mile delivery service’ that’s being tested in apartment complexes.
In the United States, Domino’s Pizza was among the first to get into the automated food delivery market when it began using small robotic trucks to deliver pizzas in a pilot program in Texas.
In the UK, both Tesco and Co-Op have started an experimental program to make deliveries using small robots equipped with GPS, which can also be piloted by a human in a control center.
WHAT OTHER COMPANIES USE DELIVERY ROBOTS?
Body Recognition
BODY recognition software that can spot people by their physical shape and clothes with 90 per cent accuracy – even if it can’t see their face – will be launched next year
- NEC claim their cameras can ‘re-identify’ an individual’s physique and clothes
- This will allow an individual to be identified even if their face is totally obscured
- NEC hopes to deploy it to busy security-controlled sites such as sports stadiums
Cutting-edge body recognition software which identifies people based on their physical shape and even clothes is set to be rolled out next year.
Everyday facial recognition technology has been refined to the extent that cameras can match an image in a database to someone’s height, width, hair and apparel.
This will allow an individual to be identified even if their face is obscured – by a balaclava, for example.
Or they will still be able to be spotted if part of their body is hidden by another person or an object.
Technology titan NEC Global is pioneering the body recognition software and hopes to apply it to busy security-controlled sites such as sports stadiums and airports.
NEC’s deep learning technology is used to match a person’s image by automatically selecting other parts of their image when there is overlap between multiple people, such as in crowded or shaded environments where a person’s full image cannot be viewed
If someone was photographed walking through a football ground’s security barrier, for example, this person would be able to be identified by cameras around the stadium even if their face were concealed.
The Tokyo-based inventor also suggested the body recognition system could help in situations like tracking down lost children in crowded places.
The Japanese firm, which boasts a 90 per cent match-rate with the software, said: ‘This technology analyses the entire appearance of a person’s photo image, such as their clothes and body shape, to determine whether they match with other images of people.
The software can match people from numerous angles, such as from behind or from the side, and shot with multiple cameras. As a result, this technology can effectively match people using camera images where the face is not visible
‘Using the image analysis and deep learning technologies that NEC has cultivated through facial recognition technology and other technologies, NEC was able to establish this high-precision technology that does not rely solely on facial images. ‘
Body recognition software forms part of the Tokyo-headquartered inventor’s Safer Cities initiative which aims to deploy technology to combat violent crime and terrorism.
The technology will be deployed next year, according to the Wall Street Journal.
NEC has today been buoyed by the announcement that its facial recognition software ranked the highest accuracy of 49 companies.
In the future, it hopes to broaden its scope of recognition software application to include store transactions and payment on buses and railways.
HOW DOES FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY WORK?
Facial recognition is increasingly used as way to access your money and your devices.
When it comes to policing, it could soon mean the difference between freedom and imprisonment.
Faces can be scanned at a distance, generating a code as unique as your fingerprints.
This is created by measuring the distance between various points, like the width of a person’s nose, distance between the eyes and length of the jawline.
Facial recognition systems check more than 80 points of comparison, known as ‘nodal points’, combining them to build a person’s faceprint.
These faceprints can then be used to search through a database, matching a suspect to known offenders.
Facial recognition is increasingly used as way to access your money and your devices. When it comes to policing, it could soon mean the difference between freedom and imprisonment (stock)
Facial scanning systems used on personal electronic devices function slightly differently, and vary from gadget to gadget.
The iPhone X, for example, uses Face ID via a 7MP front-facing camera on the handset which has multiple components.
One of these is a Dot Projector that projects more than 30,000 invisible dots onto your face to map its structure.
The dot map is then read by an infrared camera and the structure of your face is relayed to the A11 Bionic chip in the iPhone X, where it is turned into a mathematical model.
The A11 chip then compares your facial structure to the facial scan stored in the iPhone X during the setup process.
Security cameras use artificial intelligence powered systems that can scan for faces, re-orient, skew and stretch them, before converting them to black-and-white to make facial features easier for computer algorithms to recognise.
Error rates with facial recognition can be as low as 0.8 per cent. While this sounds low, in the real world that means eight in every 1,000 scans could falsely identify an innocent party..
One such case, reported in The Intercept, details how Steven Talley was falsely matched to security footage of a bank robber.
Update on my status
I have requested my statement to be taken next Tuesday or Wednesday morning or afternoon at Balai Kelana Jaya.
Till now there is no reply. Inspector Fairol must be very busy.
So will I be abducted any time now till then like Pastor Raymond?
I trust IGP Hamid Bador is reading this.
This might be my last opinion regarding Mahathir
Picture for my funeral
3 Police officers from D5 Bukit Aman came to my house on the 14th August 2019 around 9pm without a search warrant. My statement was taken, my handphone was taken and CPU was taken.
There is a saying POLICE come daytime while THIEF come at night but today it is the reverse.
Yesterday Inspector Fairol, his contact number 013 3779440 told me to be at Balai Kelana Jaya at 5 pm today to have my statement taken. When police says to come at night means OVERNIGHT STAY AT THEIR SIX STARS HOTEL.
I am not Rosmah or Zakir Naik, so I expect nothing from the police except a dark and bitter learning experience. My only concern is whether I will come out alive or as a corpse. Given the reputation of PDRM, there are no surprises.
So now my Dear Mahathir, your life has being a bed of roses. You have all the power in Malaysia under your command. You act like God and untouchable in our Laws. God has also gifted you with a twisted tongue that create lies, false allegation and stupid excuses daily in Malaysia and to countries where you are just a guest.
If I am correct under the COALITION AGREEMENT which you signed, it states clearly that the minute Anwar becomes an MP, you will step down and hand over the Premiership to him. Then you requested 2 years not knowing that the ex Agong was a generous and kind person to let Anwar be pardon and was out within 3 months. Anwar won the PD by-election on the 12th October 2018. In a few days Anwar has been an MP for a year yet you are giving excuses after excuses to hand over the Premiership.
A Premier’s job is never done, everyone knows this except your supporters who have much to lose if you step down.
Mahathir, I learnt from the past that no matter what plans we make can never complete when we are taken to our next destiny. So your half bake excuse WORK HALF DONE shows you want to die in office.
Mahathir your ego shows you are a coward not able to face the truth of what is happening to Malaysia under your Premiership.
Since May 2018 till today US$700 Billion cash has left Malaysia.
Many businesses have since closed – TUTUP, many are also closing daily.
Cost of living has rose.
Crime rate has rose.
Poverty population has rose.
Homeless has rose.
Services in Public places has slowed down to a snail pace, reason given no money. Hello this is the job of the government to upkeep and maintain. What happened to the Samurai Money, what happened to the money from all the assets sold so far?
Harapan Fund collected, we the Rakyat has not seen the account where the money went.
1MDB money confiscated and given to PH Government has gone missing.
Assets from Khazanah Nasional Berhad has gone to private pockets.
The only good thing you have done so far is to make your millionaire children and grand-children into billionaire.
Today Malaysians are fed up and frustrated you have blown your second chance.
Today you destroyed whatever dignity we have by pushing away Tourists and Investors not to come to Malaysia. With the help of Zakir Naik, you instigated racial unrest, wanting another May 13 1969 so badly to continue your stay as Prime Minister. Luckily we have an IGP who worship Allah and not you.
Can you honestly confirm the figure of Tourists who came to Malaysia since May 2018 till today?
Can you honestly confirm the number of Investors who came to Malaysia since May 2018 till today?
Between you and Azmin Ali, NO INVESTORS EVEN WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MALAYSIA. That is how bad your reputation is. Yes you are awarded with medal from Japan and other countries but what good is that when HISTORY WILL REMEMBER YOU AS THE PARIAH OF MALAYSIA.
Within a year you have destroyed your own legacy. That is your karma.
Mahathir, I challenge you to sue me instead of getting PDRM, AG and Judiciary involve, if you think I am making a false allegation against you. Compare to the Permaisuri Agong who is more understanding to the Rakyat’s frustration and pain, you choose to misuse your authority to silence your critics.
Permaisuri Agong upset with police crackdown, briefly reactivates Twitter
Mahathir you must accept the truth that you have overstayed on our hospitality. Be a man and GO.
AMLA Overkill For the Majority Of Malaysians
The objectives for AMLA are fine. However, most will agree that the “checks and balances” on ordinary Malaysians of late (over the past 6-9 months) have been bordering on overkill. A sudden substantial sum should attract proper queries. But please, not RM2,000 or RM8,000 here, TT here kena and TT there kena. For the majority of Malaysians, we are being “mildly persecuted for having and using and receiving money”, so much so that we are “made to feel that we ordinary Malaysians cannot and certainly should not nor are we capable of earning or handling money more than RM500”.
New accounts should be checked sure. But if we have been holding active bank accounts for 15-20-25 years, why now? Even so, ask once every 6 months, please … not every other transaction 2-3 times a month. We feel like ex-prison convicts being checked by our supervisor for post-good behavior.
Why should Bank Negara tone down the “overkill”:
– You are letting the eagles go free, but go rustling for chickens. We only see “justice being carried out now” on maybe the top 10-20 senior politicians from the old government. I mean, come on, what about the day in day out shenanigans for the last 10 years by the next layer of 500-1,000 top “politicians / influencers / gatekeepers”???
– It is disruptive to our lives, and put the poor souls at the banks having to make these incessant ludicrous calls. Making them subjected to temper outbursts and being called names and profanities for no good reason. WHAT A TOTAL WASTE OF RESOURCES on all counts.
– We have people appointed to look for real money launderers, don’t we? Or suddenly bank officers were appointed as RELA members? Let MACC and the Police money laundering unit do their job. If it is not effective, pour resources there.
– Already the economy has been slowing down for the past 2-3 years. The velocity of money has dipped appreciably, and here comes the phone call questioning my funds’ movements. It is a wonder that funds even move at all.
– Bank Negara, no need to go so micro. These scare tactics supposedly preventive just give rise to an unbalanced cost-benefit result. Don’t use or test the general public’s patience to bring about some “scare tactics”. Criminals will be criminals, they will find other ways.
– The GREY economy: I am sure Bank Negara knows how big our grey economy is. The side that pays no taxes. A lot of funds swish around because of the grey economy. If you want to capture the taxes there, do a proper GST on consumption. Don’t unnecessarily burden and frustrate the majority of good standing citizens.
Preventive Measures for Reporting Institutions
All reporting institutions are required by law to undertake preventive measures to prevent their institutions from being used as a conduit for money laundering and terrorism financing activities.
The preventive measures include conducting risk assessment, application of customer due diligence, submission of suspicious transaction report (STR) and cash threshold report (CTR), maintenance and retention of records of transactions and implementation of AML/CFT compliance programme that is reflective of the reporting institutions’ money laundering and terrorism financing risk profile.
WHAT IS MONEY LAUNDERING?
Money laundering is a process of converting cash or property derived from criminal activities to give it a legitimate appearance. It is a process to clean ‘dirty’ money in order to disguise its criminal origin.
WHAT IS TERRORISM FINANCING?
Terrorism financing is the act of providing financial support, funded from either legitimate or illegitimate source, to terrorists or terrorist organisations to enable them to carry out terrorist acts or will benefit any terrorist or terrorist organisation.
While most of the funds originate from criminal activities, they may also be derived from legitimate sources, for example, through salaries, revenues generated from legitimate business or the use of non-profit organisations to raise funds through donations.
IMPACT OF MONEY LAUNDERING AND TERRORISM FINANCING ON COUNTRY
- Increase in the overall rate of crime that could threaten national security.
- Inhibit the growth and competitiveness of the economy.
- Taint the integrity and reputation of the business and financial sector.
- Increase cost of doing business and operations of various sectors of the economy.
Mahathir killing Malaysia his way
When Leaders are short sighted
Please open your eyes… don’t be arrogant.Try to appreciate the bounty Allah gave to Penang such a beautiful coastline. Don’t destroy it and you’ll never get it back when it goes away. Preserve it Penagites will be very grateful.
We could soon lose this breathtaking coastline, rich in plankton, and its waters, an area teeming with prawns and fish – thanks to the greed of certain quarters.
Feel the crisp sea breeze caressing your skin as you feast your eyes on the serene tranquil waters. Taste the salt in the air. Listen to the silence of the forest as you hike along the coastline amidst the whispers of rustling leaves. Watch the weary fishermen hauling in their catch. Savour the scent of grilled fish and mee udang (prawn noodles) wafting in the air from little restaurants dotted along the southern coastline.
This is what we stand to lose – and a lot more.
I gave a talk about this massive reclamation to a small group of people a couple of days ago. It surprised me that several of them were not aware of the 4,500 three-island project in the south.
At the end of the talk, several among the audience came up to ask, “What can we do to stop this?”
People should do all they can to highlight and raise awareness of this project.
Those pushing for this project are counting on public ignorance of the enormous implications of this project, not least the loss of a precious source of fish supply.
They are not telling the public that the Penang population is not growing rapidly any longer, only inching up – making massive reclamation unnecessary. Each couple in Penang now produces only 1.4 children on average – well below the population replacement rate of 2.1 children.
But most people are unaware that the project proponents expect some 446,000 people to live on those three islands. Where are these people coming from?
Who are the buyers that will buy those expensive “sea-view” condos and luxury waterfront houses on those three islands, designed to maximise the number of sea-view properties for sale? Only 20% of the homes will be “affordable” (to whom?) – which means 80% will be “unaffordable”.
Most people don’t know that Penang state is larger than Singapore. (Why, even Seberang Perai has a larger land mass than Singapore!) But the population of Penang state is only one third that of Singapore (1.8 million vs 5.6 million). So why the need for so much land reclamation in Penang?
Don’t underestimate the collective will of the people.
Remember how Penangites rallied together to “Save Penang Hill” around 1990. They succeeded. Then Penang Chief Minister Dr Lim Chong Eu of Gerakan/BN even lost his seat in the 1990 general election.
Remember how ordinary people campaigned to “Stop PGCC” (Penang Global City Centre project) in 2007-08? They succeeded – and Barisan Nasional lost Penang state government to the Pakatan Rakyat opposition parties in a shock outcome.
There is another compelling reason why we should stop this reclamation nonsense or “pesta tambak”.
Global warming is heating up the oceans, which are absorbing 90% of the heat in the climate system. “Ocean warming reduces mixing between water layers and, as a consequence, the supply of oxygen and nutrients for marine life,” warned the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Meanwhile, “ocean warming and acidification, loss of oxygen and changes in nutrient supplies, are already affecting the distribution and abundance of marine life in coastal areas, in the open ocean and at the sea floor.”
As a result, marine life is dwindling. Already, Penang fishermen claim that their catch has shrunk by 80% due to various factors including land reclamation.
So we should be doing all we can to protect our coastal waters – not dumping more sand and rocks into a “golden area for fisheries” (as the fishermen describe it).
What’s more, polar ice sheets and glaciers are melting at a faster rate. So sea levels are now rising twice as fast (3.6mm) than they were in the last century – and the rate is accelerating. The IPCC has warned that rising sea levels will displace hundreds of millions of coastal residents from their homes by this century. If we don’t take action to curb emissions, the rise in sea levels could be as much as 60-110cm by 2100.
We should be shoring up coastal defences – not reclaiming more land from the sea.
Say no to greed. Save this coastline. #PenangTolakTambak
Taken from Anilnetto.com
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