Carolyn Khor's blog

Press Statement: Response to MP’s call for halt in Balik Pulau projects Jul 19, 2011 I refer to Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusoff’s comments, published in FreeMalaysiaToday.com yesterday, calling for a blanket halt on all development projects in his constituency. The state government cannot arbitrarily halt projects that have been approved unless they are found to violate the conditions set on its approval. Stop-work orders can be issued in the event projects do not comply with the many conditions such projects need to adhere to. These conditions include environmental, traffic, as well as social impact concerns. In this regard, I welcome MP Yusmadi’s concern for Balik Pulau and await his official input on the matter. Indeed, the State Government refers project applications to local representatives for their comments before approvals are decided upon. We have rejected applications before, especially those involving hill slope development and active agricultural land. As for squatters,...

Rahmad Isahak, president of Kongress Melayu Pulau Pinang (KMPP) calls for the PM to dissolve parliament.

MEMORANDUM TO PENANG CHIEF POLICE OFFICER 29 JUNE 2011 ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND FALSE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST PSM ACTIVISTS We the undersigned civil society groups in Penang strongly condemn the arrest of 30 PSM activists under Section 122 of the Penal Code 122 for “waging wars against the Yang DiPertuan Agong” that carries life imprisonment for a term not exceeding 20 years. The PSM activists, including Sungai Siput MP D Jeyakumar were halted by police at the Sungai Dua toll plaza, when they were on their way to attend a ceramah dubbed ‘Udahlah tu, bersaralah BN’ at Bayan Baru. The police who found PRM leaflets and newsletter and other paraphemalia including T-Shirts bearing the images of former Communist fighters Chin Peng, Suriani Abdullah and Rashid Maidin, came to the conclusion that the group was trying to revive the communist ideology and therefore they should be investigated for “waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong”. This is not the only example of abuse of power b...

COMMITTEE FOR NON-MUSLIM AFFAIRS – SELANGOR & PENANG I salute the move taken by YAB Lim Guan Eng and the Penang state government in forming an official portfolio for non-muslim affairs, it is an effort that is to be commended. The central aim and objectives of the Committee for non-muslim affairs is to promote greater inter-faith understanding and build strong working relationships between all non-muslim religious bodies and the state governments. For example, Selangor’s non-muslim committee is jointly chaired by myself, YB Teresa Kok and YB Ronnie Liew, along with four other ADUNs, 7 representatives of the main non-muslim religious bodies and various other government department representatives including reps from District Offices, JAIS, JKR, JPS and PTG. The Barisan National government should welcome the initiatives taken by the Penang state government and not feel threatened. Furthermore, it was only 3 days ago that the “PM hailed the government’s interfaith sub-committee as key ...

The 2nd Penang Bridge in Penang connecting Batu Maung in the south-eastern part of the Penang Island to Batu Kawan on the mainland will supercede the existing bridge in being the longest in the country and South-East Asia when completed. Its total length of 23.5km will take approximately 20 minutes to travel across at 80km per hour. In the latest update, the bridge is scheduled for completion in September 2013, after numerous delays. Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong raised questions at the Dewan Rakyat pertaining to the cost of the second bridge which now stands at RM4.5 billion. It was formerly RM4.3 billion in 2008 when the price of oil was at its peak. He further asked for clarifications for an amount of RM20 million which was being allocated for ceremonial duties and RM63.51 million which was for overhead and support expenses. The Prime Minister, Najib Razak in his reply stated that the cost of the bridge had not risen but did not elaborate on the RM83.51 million. He also confirmed ...