Jimmy Leow

Penang’s friendship city status with Taipei City strengthens people to people relationship and allows Penang to learn from Taipei’s success in transforming itself into an international city. As Penang can not compete with cities like Singapore, Hong Kong or Taiwan, Penang aspires to find our own niche as an international city that is also an intelligent city.

Penang can succeed in becoming an intelligent city by stressing on our availability of human talent on 6 key aspects of intelligence:-

1.     Human intelligence that is the competitive advantage endowed on Penangites;

2.    Collective intelligence is the ability of Penangites to manage, harness and combine the individual intelligence synergistically;

3.     Digital intelligence by broadening broadband connectivity and increasing broadband penetraton;

4.     Institutional intelligence to ensure that the government, private sector and civil society respect rule of law and do not adopt bad behaviours that drives away the best and brightest;

5.     Integrity intelligence to ensure integrity in leadership and zero corruption; and

6.   Residual intelligence acquired naturally by Penangites from 40 years of experience with the electronic and electrical industry.

Both cities are already bonded by educational ties and common heritage of Sun Yat Sen; linked by business investments and trade; and driven by shared values of freedom, democracy and pursuit of excellence. Today’s signing ceremony between the Mayor of Taipei Dr Hau Lung Bin and Penang’s Mayoress Patahiyah binti Ismail will only deepen ties between our people.

Penang hopes that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop can urge the Federal government to reveal how much has been allocated for Penang under the 10^th Malaysian Plan. So far no information has been forthcoming about the projects and funding for Penang even though the 10^th Malaysian Plan was unveiled on 10 June 2011 in Parliament by the Prime Minister.

RM230 billion was set out for the 10MP with 60 % physical development and 40 % non-physical development based on 7 key thrusts identified namely

• Charting development for a high income nation
• 6 pct growth target
• Per capita income to increase to RM38,845 (US$12,139) by 2015
• Creating private sector-led economy
• Supporting innovation-led growth
• Full employment
• Restructuring of subsidies

However 9 months after the 10MP was launched, the Penang state government still does not know how much was Penang allocated and what projects would be identified. To-date, we are uncertain whether the Federal government has decided on the allocation for the respective states under the 10MP. It is only fair for Penang to receive its fair share in view of the annual sum of nearly RM4 billion in contributions to the Federal government.

Penang No. 1 In Implementing 9MP Projects But What Are They?

The only information available is the statement by Tan Sri Nor that Penang recorded the highest percentage in utilisation of funds, compared with other states, in expenditures on development projects implemented by the federal government. Tan Sri Nor said that 91.84 per cent of the RM7.176 billion allocated for development projects in Penang under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) had been utilised.

Again the Penang state government hopes that Tan Sri Nor can reveal the details of the projects under the 9MP, which shows the progress and effective implementation by the federal government in Penang.  This will also assist in determining the reasons for the delay so that such weaknesses will not be repeated again. There is no doubt that delayed completion of projects causes losses detrimental to public interest. Such delays can be avoided with proper planning and supervision.

LIM GUAN ENG

Rakyat mesti menolak hasutan ekstremis dan berbau perkauman yang melabelkan orang bukan Islam sebagai berdosa, khususnya dalam media yang dikuasai BN, kerana menyebarkan maklumat palsu bahawa amalan tradisi Kristian dan Hari Kekasih Valentine Day adalah berdosa. Pada masa yang sama ada pemimpin BN yang melabelkan negara-negara Islam sebagai mundur, miskin, korup dan tidak demokratik.

Jelas sekali permainan perkauman dan ekstremis ini bertujuan untuk pecah-belahkan rakyat dengan melaga-lagakan antara agama agar pemimpin BN boleh terus memerintah dan skandal rasuah yang kian berleluasa. Keengganan BN menjawab skandal tentang RM888 bilion wang yang dibawa curi-curi keluar secara haram dalam 9 tahun di antara 2000-2008, amat tidak bertanggungjawab kerana ia melibatkan jumlah wang besar. Betapa besarnya boleh dilihat sekiranya RM888 bilion diagihkan kepada 27 juta rakyat Malaysia, maka setiap orang akan menerima RM 33,000/-! Atau kini setiap orang dewasa, kanak-kanak dan bayi telah kehilangan RM33,000/-.

Hari Kekasih atau Valentine’s Day bukanlah sebahagian daripada fahaman, ajaran atau nilai Kristian. Tidak ada sebarang upacara sembahyang dijalankan dalam gereja untuk menandakan Hari Kekasih ini. Sebaliknya ia adalah hanya suatu amalan popular yang tidak menggalakkan amalan jahat berzina atau berdosa. Sekiranya ada pihak jahat yang cuba menyalahgunakan Valentine’s Day untuk kegiatan maksiat atau berzina, ia dikecam dan dilarang oleh semua pihak baik bukan Islam ataupun Islam.

Untuk melabelkan ajaran Kristian sebagai tradisi berdosa dalam TV adalah sungguh tidak bertanggungjawab dan biadab. Jelas sekali ada pihak tertentu yang cuba mencari populariti di kalangan umat Islam dengan menjalankan kempen anti-Hari Kekasih seakan-akan suatu kempen menyelamatkan Islam daripada dosa-dosa yang diamalkan di kalangan bukan Islam.

Sekiranya mereka ingin mempertahankan Islam, mengapa mereka tidak menjalankan kempen ke atas pemimpin BN yang menyerang calon wanita PAS sebagai ekstremis kerana calon wanita itu memilih untuk tidak salam dengan kaum lelaki? Mengapa mereka tidak menjalankan kempen ke atas pemimpin BN sama yang melabelkan negara-negara Islam sebagai mundur, miskin, korup dan tidak demokratik?

Jelas sekali, ini adalah suatu permainan politik BN dengan taktik talam dua muka untuk menimbulkan kebencian di kalangan kaum dan agama masing-masing. Sandiwara talam dua muka BN ini berlainan dengan PR yang bertindak adil kepada semua kaum dan agama dengan mempromosikan kesederhanaan, kesefahaman, dan saling hormat-menghormati serta bantu-membantu di antara satu sama lain.

PR berpegang kuat dengan kepercayaan bahawa kesederhanaan adalah keadilan.

LIM GUAN ENG

The Penang state government welcomes the announcement by Minister in the Prime Minister Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon that Penangites stand to benefit greatly as 10 out of the 12 NKEAs focus on the development of Penang. Koh had stressed at the Penang Chinese Town Hall two days ago that the Federal government had not ignored Penang and would place greater emphasis on the state so it would not be left out of the nation’s mainstream development.

Since Koh said that amongst the 10 out of 12 NKEAs that Penang would benefit are the electronics industry, communications, tourism and health care, Penang hopes that he would provide details. When 19 Entry Points Projects(EPP) involving RM67 billion in investments, creating 35,000 jobs and increasing Gross National Income(GNI) by RM35 billion were unveiled last month, not one of the EPPs was located in Penang.

Penang’s failure to snare even one out of the 19 EPPs is unfair, discriminatory and unacceptable when there are only 13 states in Malaysia excluding the Federal Territory.  However the Penang state government is willing to trust Tan Sri Dr Koh one more time that Penang will benefit from the 19 EPPs.

Based on the RM67 billion in investments, Penang should benefit at least RM 5 billion on a proportional basis as one of the 13 beneficiary states. Tan Sri Dr Koh should quickly provide details of when and where the RM5 billion in investments will be distributed as soon as possible.

At the same time, the Federal government should also explain why RM67 billion in investments under the 19 EPPs can generate only 35,000 jobs or RM2 million per job. As compared to the 2010 total private domestic and foreign investments of RM 47,177 million will help create 97,319 jobs or less than RM500,000 per job. Such great disparity requires explanations as to what type of jobs are created under the 19 EPPs that needs RM 2million to generate one job.

LIM GUAN ENG

The Penang state government is willing to meet with the Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha to discuss the stop work issued by the Penang State EXCO on 12 November 2010 on the Ipoh-Padang Besar Electrified Double Track Project (EDTP). I am willing to listen to Datuk Seri Kong’s explanation that this RM 15 billion project did not cause or worsen the worst floods ever in Kedah. If convinced by Datuk Seri Kong, I am willing to recommend an immediate lifting of the stop-work order on the contractor, MMC-Gamuda JV Sdn Bhd.

On 12 November 2010, the Penang Government had directed Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai(MPSP) to issued a stop-work order as a pre-emptive move necessary to prevent major floods in the Penang on the same scale as in Kedah. This follows the statements by both the Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung and Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak that the recent major floods in Kedah were possibly due to the project.

The state government wanted the contractor, MCC-Gamuda Joint Venture Sdn Bhd, to provide a written guarantee that it will bear all losses should a similar flood problem arise on the mainland as a result of the project. Further MMC-Gamuda must also remove and tear down any structure built by them that causes water retention or water to overflow if flooding occurs. The contractor would also be required to conduct inspection on flood-prone areas in the project construction zone with Penang state EXCO members Lim Hock Seng and Law Choo Kiang. I will be awaiting their reports before deciding whether and when to lift the stop-work order.

I regret that Datuk Chor Chee Heung now denies saying that the project caused the flood problems. On 5 November 2010, the Star quoted him in a report, ‘Double-tracking project worsened flood situation in Kedah – Chor’ and again on 6 November, ‘Chor: Railway project contributed to the problem’.

Chor was quoted in both reports as saying that he had informed Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha on the matter. Chor even said that his house Taman Lumba Kuda was flooded for the first time ever under four feet of water. Since Star is a MCA paper, it is unlikely that Chor is misquoted as there were no corrections in The Star after these two reports were published on 5 and 6 November 2010.

The Penang state government is only carrying out our public duty to safeguard the people’s interests because we do not want the major floods in Kedah to recur in Penang. I take note the warning issued byKTM Bhd that halting the project would result in costly time delays, as well as affect the tourism industry.

However the state government would not budge until we received guarantees that can assure the people that all flood-prevention measures have been taken by the company. We should put the people’s welfare and public interests above profit considerations of one or two companies.

Lim Guan Eng’s take on 2011 Budget.

Video by Jimmy Leow, Citizen Journalist

New Rule: If a woman rejects your first dozen advances, don’t up the ante by sending her a picture of your penis. This week, we found out that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre allegedly tried to get with a young woman by sending her MySpace messages, voicemails, and notes through a friend, and when none of that worked, and it was third and long — though, not as long as most of us would have imagined — he decided to throw the Hail Mary and sext her pictures of Little Brett to close the deal. Brett, I get it: Your dictionary doesn’t include the word “quit” or “retire” or “married” but you’ve got to at least understand “punt.” You know the worst part about having sex with Brett Favre? He keeps saying he’s finished, and then he comes back to drag it out for another year.

To me, this story isn’t about sports or sex or how necessary caller ID is — it’s about how pathetic and clueless white American males have become. Because the kind of guy who thinks there are women out there who just, cold, want to see your cock, is the same kind of guy who thinks Sarah Palin is swell and tax cuts pay for themselves. I will explain that connection further, but first let’s just dwell for one more moment on how stupid it is to forget that in 2010 when you text someone a picture of your genitals, you’re not just sending it to that person, but to every person she has in her contacts… and then everyone on the planet who has access to the Internet. Somewhere right now there’s a tribesman in Samoa thinking, “Brett Favre is texting a picture of his dick to a woman? That shit never works.”

And he’s right — no woman in the history of mankind has ever wanted to see a picture of a penis. Go back to the earliest cave paintings. The very first one is of a cock, and after that they’re all antelopes and sunrises. But for some reason men persist. Why? Because men have always been in charge, especially white men. Brett Favre is like a lot of white males: he’s owned the world for so long, he’s going a little crazy now that he doesn’t. Also, like many white men across the country, he lost his job to a Mexican, (i.e. Jets Quarterback Mark Sanchez).

If Brett Favre’s penis could talk, what would it say? Well, other than, “No photos please,” I think it would say, “I’m not a witch. I’m you.” Because for hundreds of years white penises were America. White penises founded America, they made the rules and they called the shots in the workplace, in the home, and at the ballot box. But now the unthinkable is happening. White penises are becoming the minority: 2010 was the first year in which more minority babies were born in the U.S. than white babies. This is what conservatives are really upset about — that the president is black, and the best golfer is black, and the Secretary of State is a woman, and suddenly this country is way off track and needs some serious ‘restoring.’ If penises could cry — and I believe they can — then white penises are crying all over America.

And that’s where this crew comes in; Sarah Palin, Christine O’Donnell, Michele Bachmann; the lovely MILFs of the new right. And their little secret is that their popularity comes exclusively from white men. Look at the polling: minorities hate them, women hate them — only white men like them. I’m no psychiatrist, but I do own a couch, and my theory is that these women represent something those men miss dearly: the traditional, idiot housewife. Writing on your hand is sheer Lucy. If an election between Obama and Sarah Palin were held today, and only white men could vote, Sarah Palin would be president. Did you know that in 1788, when there were four million people in America, only 39,000 of them — the richest white men — got to vote? That doesn’t sound good to you? Well, what if I threw in a picture of my cock? Which brings me back to Brett Favre, and I think it’s worth noting that in one of the alleged photos of him, he’s pleasuring himself on a bed while wearing Crocs. And if you think about it, is there any better metaphor for the sad state of America today than an over-the-hill white guy lazily masturbating in plastic shoes?

Bill Maher

On the 15th July 2010, a group of residents from Taman Kota Permai, Penang, who have been suffering flash floods and structural damages for the past three years, made their long trek to Putrajaya to submit a memorandum to minister Peter Chin Fah Kui was met with a rebuff from the Green Technology, Energy and Water Ministry.

The problems are caused by the Sewerage Services Department’s RM73 million sewerage development project under the ministry in their locality.

After much pressure from the residents, the ministry agrees to send a team geo-technical investigators to re-access the current situation. IKRAM has started their investigation early last week.

Video by Jimmy Leow, Citizen Journalist

BEIJING — An imprisoned Chinese dissident who won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize was allowed to meet Sunday with his wife and told her in tears that he was dedicating the award to victims of a 1989 military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, his wife and a close friend said.

Liu Xia, the wife of democracy campaigner Liu Xiaobo, said in a Twitter message that his jailers had informed him a day earlier of his prize.

“Brothers, I have returned,” Liu wrote. “Seen Xiaobo, the prison told him the news about his award on the night of the 9th.”

The Twitter message was verified by a close friend and dissident Wang Jinbo, who wrote in another Twitter message that Liu Xia had told him she was unable to meet the media or friends because of tight security. Wang declined to be interviewed.

Half a dozen men blocked the entrance to Liu’s apartment in Beijing on Sunday night, ordering reporters out of the compound. A U.S. group that serves as Liu Xiaobo’s international counsel, Freedom Now, deplored Liu Xia’s detention in her own home.

In naming him on Friday, the Norwegian-based Nobel committee honored Liu’s more than two decades of advocacy of human rights and peaceful democratic change – from demonstrations for democracy at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989 to a manifesto for political reform that he co-authored in 2008 and which led to his latest jail term.

Wang said Liu Xiaobo told his wife during the visit that the prize “goes first” to those who died in the June 4, 1989, military crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen. “Xiaobo was in tears,” he wrote.

Liu Xia had sought to meet with her husband after Friday’s Nobel announcement, but authorities refused to let her visit until Sunday.

The delay underscored the difficult predicament the Chinese government faces over the award to a dissident it brands a criminal.

The Huffington Post

Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng speaks about what is installed for Penang and its future as an international city.

Video by Jimmy Leow