Jimmy Leow

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has expressed concern that the Penang government’s decision to revoke the approval for a luxury condominium project in Kampung Buah Pala would not resolve the villagers’ predicament.

Speaking at a press conference in Georgetown, Hindraf advisor N Ganesan said the revocation would only stop the project from proceeding but it does not guarantee the return of the village land to the residents.

Watch the video here.

Video by Leow Beng Hock (Citizen Journalist)

A video produced by me caught the attention of JKR and the state government over the long delay of this highway which is supposed to be completed in Nov 2008. Click below to watch the video.

http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/17211/abandoned-highway-scars-balik-pulau.html

By now, motorists are supposed to be zipping about on the spanking new highway spanning from Teluk Kumbar to Pekan Genting in Balik Pulau, Penang.

Unfortunately, the brakes have been hit on the project and a video taken by citizen journalist Jimmy Leow last month revealed the sorry state of affairs.

The structure now stands in disjointed, unfinished sections.

A signboard states that it is a Barisan Nasional project, contracted to private firm Bulkers Corporation Sdn Bhd.

It was also stated that the highway would be completed on Sept 3, 2008. However in March that year, voters had shown BN the exit from the island state.

Apart from being an eyesore, the uncompleted project – which is sited next to a busy road – posed a safety risk for motorists.

Readers of journalist Anil Netto’s blog commented that the project has been abandoned for more than two years and it was estimated that the government allocated RM58 million for it.

Citizen journalist and blogger Chan Lilian responded on the blog that several citizen journalists (including her and Leow) has met PKR’s Balik Pulau MP Mohd Yusmadi to discuss the matter.

However, the issue – just like the highway – remained unresolved.

See the response from JKR after this article was published in Malaysiakini.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/107793

Story by Emily Chow, Malaysiakini

A video produced by Chan Lilian and I on the Protestant Cemetery which brought the attention of MPPP President, YDP Tan Cheng Chui and Penang Heritage Trust. Click below to watch the video.

http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/17246/historical-site-in-grave-condition.html

The grave of Francis Light is undoubtedly a significant historical site not just for the residents of Penang but to the entire nation.

Yet the Protestant Cemetery where the founder of Penang was laid to rest is currently in a state of despair.

Next to the Saint Francis Xavier Church, sits the oldest Christian cemetery in Penang where Lebuh Farquhar and Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah meet.

It was declared a world heritage site by Unesco last year.

Dating back to 1794, Francis Light’s grave is one of the oldest in the cemetery.

Other graves include those of Commodore Charles Grant, Governor of Penang William Petrie and Francis Light’s business partner James Scott.

Citizen journalists Chan Lilian and Jimmy Leow visited the site recently. Their video depicted neglected graves, overgrown with unruly ferns and shrubs. Dead logs lying on the ground in abundance.

Leow commented that many trees in the cemetery were dead, thus posing a safety threat to visitors, as they could fall anytime.

He and Chan hoped that the Penang state government would do something to improve the condition of the cemetery.

“We are talking about people who died in the 1800s. It’s more than religion, it’s our roots and our history. We have to remember them for the deeds they have done,” said Leow.

According to the two citizen journalists, Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) council member Loh-Lim Lin Lee informed them that the cemetery has been restored three times since 1993, but those efforts were in vain without regular maintenance.

Loh-Lim also mentioned that the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) officials were scheduled to visit the site soon to plan restoration works.

Story by Emily Chow, Malaysiakini

A video which Nick Kelesau and I made during our test assignment in KL. We did not know the video would be so popular among viewers. It recorded more than 56,000 views. Click below to watch the video.

http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/17333/should-rosmahs-video-be-removed.html

Malaysiakini took to the streets to obtain the public’s feedback on the videos appearing on YouTube that aim to discredit First Lady Rosmah Mansor.

Although most were unaware of the existence of suchvideos, those who knew, offered mixed responses when interviewed by our citizen journalists.

“It is fine, everyone has the right to express their opinion, whether through YouTube or blogs. It is just a reflection of today’s society,” said Zawani, 23, when asked if the videos should be removed.

Sales manager Fong Toh Hin saidYouTube was merely a medium of expression which could be used for better or worse.

In a way it is good for the people to express themselves, in another way it causes a lot of problems for the people (or ministers being accused) in the videos.

“I feel pity for them, but that is the price you have to pay as a public figure,” he said.

Fong felt that the government should not monitorYouTube, as it should depend on the public’s understanding of how to use this medium for good purposes.

However, Mala disagreed.

According to her, the government should have a censorship department to filter through items posted online.

“But if she (Rosmah) wants to depend on herself (and not the government), she should come out and explain herself,” she added.

Chew, a manager in his 30s, echoed a similar stand.

“The best thing (for Rosmah) to do is to explain to the people whether these accusations are true or not, as if you try to stop (these videos) from one source, it will go to another,” he noted.

A user calling himself “c4productionhouse” uploaded three videos entitled ‘Rosmah Perempuan Puaka‘ early last month, garnering a total of over 420,000 hits thus far.

Story by Emily Chow, Malaysiakini

I recently made this video after a villager from Jalan Raja Uda approached me when I was covering the Kampung Buah Pala eviction issue.  The story was published by Malaysiakini on the 13 July 2009. Click below to watch the video.

http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/17382.html

Citizen Journalist Video About 13 years ago, Cherating Development Sdn Bhd persuaded a group of squatters in Prai, Penang, to vacate their homes for development projects.

As compensation, the developer promised an 800-sq feet flat for each family, and cash payment of RM450 until the flats were ready.

Convinced it was good offer, the squatters from Jalan Raja Uda (JRU) agreed, but till today, the promised flats has yet to seen.

The squatters were temporarily provided with single story long houses in late 1996. They built to last for two to three years.

However, after 13 years, the condition of the houses has worsened.

A Malaysiakini’s citizen journalist video captured the deterioration of the houses, ranging from crumbling walls to leaking roofs.

Shabby living conditions

“We have been staying here for 10 years, (and) everything is falling apart. There are termites everywhere,” said Ng Lean Sim, 53.

The shabby living conditions are especially troubling for some older squatters, as most of them are poor and in frail health.

Ng and another squatter, Tang Lee Lee, 70, have made appeals at the developer’s office.

They submitted revelant documents for relocation to the promised flats, but their requests fell on deaf ears.

Another squatter, Lim Eng Hock, told Malaysiakini that in the eviction letters from the developer in 1996, it was mentioned that the developer will compensate us with an 800-sq foot flat.

New developer

“If we didn’t move out once the letter of eviction was served, we would be fined RM100 a day. Since we were promised a flat, we quickly shifted to this place by Dec 26, 1996, the deadline,” said Lim.

The current developer of the project is Woolley Development Sdn Bhd. They inherited the project from Cherating Development in 2000.

Showing Malaysiakini documents pertaining to the project, Daniel Leng, 54, identified in the video as the JRU squatter’s spokesman, said that part of agreement was that Woolley Development take over the liabilities of the project as well.

“The developers promised the squatters that their flats would be ready in two years, and that should have been in 1999,” said Leng.

It has been 10 years since, and the developers have yet to keep their end of the bargain.

Story by Emily Chow, Malaysiakini

The video which Chan Lilian and I had the privilege of producing will remain as one of the top videos in my life. I was able to meet the Bishop because Lilian and I were very curious if what had been said in the newspapers and blogs were true. And the most puzzling part was, how come no one from the main stream media got in touch with him? To tell you the truth, we called only once and the Bishop’s office got back to us within 48 hours with a positive, “Yes!” 

Without getting the other side of the story, how could these well trained journalists write? And what was the editors’ function here? It is already bad that you have crappy journalists, but editors too? So, it is time to remind ourselves, what kind of crap are we reading in the newspapers nowadays.

I recently covered a press conference with Lilian and I was really mad when certain reporters tried to get the “victims” to act. For instance, during a photo session with the residents of High ChaparralPenang, reporters acted as directors of a motion picture, huddling these poor old women together to form a demonstration line and said,” Oh..You are holding the placard to low”, “Shout something”, ” Shout louder” etc….

Is this not acting? Is this not putting words into people’s mouth? I mean they have suffered so much with their land ownership problem and these reporters tried to get a “good” shot for the newspapers’ front page. 

And while editing the Catholic Church Penang Eviction Controversy, we also stumbled upon one journalist telling his cameraman not to include the cable TV disks which were installed on the villagers’ homes in the photo shot. What crap is this? How low can you go to bring a false picture of the situation?

With all being said here, it really make sense to have citizen journalism to act as an “alternative” news to show the different angles of the story.  And you bet I am glad to be one!

I used the old road to Balik Pulau via Teluk Kumbar very frequently and it just did not hit me that there was so much to do as far as the new highway construction was concerned. Maybe it was the gradual change in landscape that did the trick. Taking a lead from my fellow Citizen Journalist, Owen Koh, a team of CJs ventured into the very heart of Balik Pulau and after making good a few assignments, Owen Koh, Chan Lilian and I, took a drive along the old road towards Teluk Kumbar to witness the “half cooked” highway. One requires to blur off all the natural beauty of the hills and the greens of Balik Pulau and focus on the devastating condition of the abandoned highway.

Signs of landslides are frequent from the evidence gathered which we can observed from the side of the hills and it can only get worse with the prolonged halt of this project.

There was this section of the road  which is so narrow that it can only allow a one way flow of traffic from both directions. This can only be done with several traffics lights and these lights are manned by foreign workers. Based on my interview with a foreign “traffic controller”, it seems these narrow roads are monitored 24 hours. When asked if there was any kind of recent construction, he answered no. It seems there was no progress for the past 1 year or so.

At present, the old road  has also a lot of dangerous corners and there was one in particular which I highlighted in my short clip “Abandoned Highway Scars Balik Pulau”. The edge of this road has a drop of at least 30 metres and the worse part is there was not permanent barrier to stop motorists from driving into the ravine.

Since there was a new road construction near this section of the road, a line of plastic barriers were placed. If motorists are not careful, they may rammed through the plastic barriers and plunged into the ravine, a fatal plunge I am sure.

I was able to see these because this time around I rode a motorcycle and try to understand and feel the actual situation. I managed to get close up shots of the abandoned highway and it was shocking indeed.

Based on gathered information, the project was supposed to be completed within the 4th quarter of 2008, but until now, not an inch of this highway is usable. What is holding back the progress of this multi million project or will it become a structure waiting to be swallowed by the jungle of Balik Pulau, Penang?

I think today’s CJM’s outing is by far the best of all. We covered so many issues today and most importantly, we enjoyed doing them.

We did a few vox pops on the newly shifted wet and dry market of Balik Pulau, Penang. The old market which was located in the middle of the lay back Balik Pulau town was shifted to the new complex about 500 metres away.  We asked a few vendors at the new complex how was the business even since they are here. There were some mixed comments, but very valid ones.

We took time to enjoy the local “food” and “drinks” like the  purple banana kuih and nutmeg juice. Both very delicious and refreshing. Thanks to our CJ Owen Koh who is a “kampung boy” in Balik Pulau, we were able to see several changes, some good and some bad, which were highlighted to us. By the way, we will be soon promoting Owen Koh to Public Relation Officer for CJM as he got us to interview a few important people who provided us a lot of information about Balik Pulau. Syabas!! He has a skill to get total strangers talking, like they knew him for ages.

We then went to Pulau Bedong, just a 10 minutes drive from Balik Pulau and visited a farm by accident, of all farms, a goat farm… but we really had fun talking to the owner and I tried communicating the goats but failed. Even Owen failed to get something out from them. 

It was lunch time, and we went for the famous “Prawn mee” and “Assam Laksa” nearby. Well, that was lunch and we dashed to the next destination, Pulau Bedong fishing village. We initially did not expect much, but was pretty excited to get good padding shots of fishermen, trawlers, boats, the sea and we even did not feel the hot sun beaming on us.

We were about to leave until our newly appointed PRO of CJM, called out to us and invited us to have a look at some live lobsters. It was the curiousity that took all of us, Natasja, Lim, Chan Lilian and I, through some narrow wooden planks  and finally to a shady river side where fishermen and their families tend to their catch of the day. Some of their children were playing with live crabs and fishes. We were also introduced to a “urinating prawn” aka Mantis Prawn.

There were a few fishermen mending their nets and we were fasinated how fast one fisherman was doing it. We had small talks and he was doing his thing, we probe a little more deeper into their livehood and suddenly before we know it, the topic of “tiger nets” came in like a flash and there were accusation flying wildly against the related ministry for not responding to their plea. A plea that was of 30 years. This time around, we had 4 camcorders and I believed it was the best coordinated camcorder relay ever. You can hear whispers among CJs,” Eh my battery is going to kong in a few minutes, please stand by”….

Most of us were low on battery and we had to rationed it so that we could get what ever necessary to make this documentary right.

We were also told that the fishermen have asked for help from everyone, but so far there has been no changes. It seems their livelihood are being snatched away by big trawlers with “tiger nets” which is actually a kind bottom trawling net which destroys the sea bed and everything in its path in the process of catching fish. And it seems such nets are prohibited and it is illegal to use them, but are still deployed used by “big trawlers”.

We had some drinks before we moved on to the Owen Koh’s “issue” which has been troubling him for years, the “Abandon Highways of Balik Pulau”. Lilian Chan took some important shots of the said highway and really, it is sad, no, MAD to put things to waste after using up so much money to build a half cooked highway.

Anyway, I will have to stop here, or I will be telling you the whole story. Stay tune for a documentary on these issues, it will be out soon.

You have to be bold (not sure if it is the same as thick skin), able to put up with some intimidating crowd, go without food, push your way through to get a good shot and finally, you got to be trained to hold your bladder overtime.

During the Bukit Selambau by election, I was there for nearly a week, covering several important events such as the nomination day, several ceramahs by different political leaders from PKR, DAP, MIC and MCA, a story about a temple waiting for the land transfer to their trustees, and polling day.

It was an experience which I was looking for indeed. The events took me further to understand what was responsible reporting and why there were instances people were misquoted by reporters.

Even when I was editing the footages I took, I realized that I need to let the public see what I saw and how I understood the matter at that point of time. Even at a slight change of sequence of the footage may project a wrong interpretation to the events. And that will come with consequences and a price to pay.

Reporters and videographers alike hold such high responsibilities to ensure things are not “twisted” to gain popularity for their company’s own gain.

My course-mates and I, Citizen Journalists, are lucky because we are not paid to write or video for anyone in particular, but only for the public’s view. We are not tied down with restrictions or favours, we tell and show it as it is.  And that is why, people are starting to take us seriously whenever we “speak” and that is the way it should be for all reporters and journalists.

Don’t you think so?