Carolyn Khor's blog

Exchanging oranges for limes, but still better than nothing. Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng is expected to propose on behalf of Pakatan Rakyat, Law Choo Kiang as Speaker and Ustaz Maktar Hj. Shapee as Deputy Speaker for the Penang State Assembly tomorrow (28/6/2013). Both are second term PKR state assemblyman for Bukit Tambun and Sungai Bakap respectively. Deputy Chief Minister 1 for Penang, Rashid Hasnon will second the motion. Lim had also, in his press release, made known that prior to the final decision, Penang PKR chairman, Dato Mansor Othman was unanimously proposed and supported by the Penang EXCO, consisting of both DAP and PKR members, for the Speaker post. He attributes the change to a consultation with Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PKR’s de facto leader and Parliamentary Opposition Leader. The initial move to propose Dato Mansor may be politically correct, or reversely, simply an olive branch from DAP to iron out the outburst of the ‘Tokong’ issue which emerged s...

The episodes of haze has returned yet again, and this is among two of the bad haze conditions faced since 1997 and 2005. There is no exception to human error when the health of the whole region comes under siege annually due to the clearing of land by palm oil and timber companies in Indonesia. So far, eight concessionaires have been identified by the Indonesian Environment Minister and National Disaster Mitigation Board, Balthasar Kambuaya. An environmental group known as Greenpeace claim that these plantations belong to Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean conglomerates. The forest fire are said to originate from Riau and Jambi, the eastern side of Central Sumatra. Based on reports by the NOAA satellite, there are currently 227 hotspots and it is expected to continue burning well into the following month due to the high temperature and dry weather. Efforts for cloud-seeding in the region have borne little results as clouds do not form over the hotspots. It is also imposs...

I left my sweet love o’er the hills, For I thought the stars would lead me home, But far beyond a thousand journeys, The faint echoes drum repeatedly: Please come home, Please come home.  The wind and breeze bear witness, To my dying wish I be laid to rest, In the grounds of my beloved birthplace, Where the smell of flowers bid me: You are home, You are home. But as I wander through the vast empty land, My guiding star I search in vain, And so a promise I give myself – Nev'r to stop till my love I find again: I’m coming home, I’m coming home. June 27, 2013 - Carolyn Khor

It must have come as a pleasant surprise that three women from PKR were selected to be Selangor executive council members together with three others from DAP and four from PAS. Dr. Daroyah joins rank with Elizabeth Wong and Rodziah Ismail in an all-women three-member team after being sworn-in at the palace today. PKR Selangor had fielded six women candidates for its state seats, out of which five won. Twelve others from PKR who won are men. In contrast, Penang has only one woman exco which is held by Chong Eng, the DAP state assemblyman for Padang Lalang. During the 13th General Elections, PKR Penang fielded a total of two women candidates for the Penang state seats, out of which only one succeeded - Dr. Norlela Ariffin from Penanti. Nine others from PKR who won are men. The vast difference in women representation within PKR is largely attributed to the role of women in politics in these two states. At the same time, it must be lauded that Tan Sri Khalid has no qualms appointin...

Dato’ Mustafa Kamal, Director of Elections for PKR Pulau Pinang successfully gathered about 500 election workers at several meeting points all around the Bayan Baru (P52) parliamentary district last Sunday. Dato’ Mansor Othman, the Deputy Chief Minister addressed the 300-strong crowd at its main site at Dewan JKKK Taman Pekaka, Batu Uban, together with several other personalities like YB Sim Tze Tzin (ADUN Pantai Jerejak), Dato’ Malik Kassim (ADUN Batu Maung) and YB Raveen (ADUN Batu Uban). The air of excitement was further enhanced when a motorcycle convoy of about 30 bikes arrived at Taman Pekaka along with a decorated trailer behind blasting the Parti Keadilan song. After a short briefing, all volunteers participated in a house-to-house exercise to meet the voters in the three state constituencies in Bayan Baru. When the crowd were asked: “Are you ready for Pakatan Rakyat?” the crowd replied in a very spirited ‘Yes!’ The overall response from the ground was very ...

Much has been said about climate changes in the last few decades with not much being done to address the escalating problem. This is especially unfortunate when the environmentalists are up against corporate giants who silence the policy makers into submission with their huge funding by reaping profits from nature. Climate changes is a term used to acknowledge weather patterns over a period of time and is commonly linked to environmental changes including global warming and the greenhouse effect, significant flooding and even storms – the most recent being Superstorm Sandy. Jeffrey Sachs, a renowned economist mentioned in his address during a recent visit to Penang that the term ‘climate change’ was not even uttered once by the re-elected President of the United States during his nationwide election campaign. This shows the severity and the clout of apprehensiveness in acknowledging what deserves to be approached in a more aggressive manner to save the environment. However, a...

Original Article in Mandarin by: Teng Kok Liang Green scenery always makes people feel refreshed. It is wrong to think that living in high rise building prohibits us from keeping plants. On the contrary, there are many indoor plants that we can grow to keep our environment green and beautiful. Penang Green Expo 2012 which was held in September 2012 displayed a variety of indoor plants. The Expo also provided an opportunity to learn more about choosing the correct species for planting and decorating the home. For clean and fresh air, the Cactus, Chlorophytum or Scindaprus tops the list as natural purifiers. These plants should not be underestimated as they can help lower the hazardous substances released from electronic appliances and at the same time help purify air pollutants. An alternate choice is the Sansevieria and Boston fern. These plants contain natural plant anion that absorbs Benzene and Trichloroethylene from the air to restore good air quality. For spa...

Green Building Index In keeping pace with the demands of modern living, designers and builders equally reflect their concerns about the environment through incorporating a voluntary green rating scheme which is managed by a board of registered architects and engineers. The Green Building Index has a total of 290 buildings as at June 2012 and nine townships registered for certification throughout the nation.  According to the Northern Chapter President of Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) and also Penang Green Council committee member, Mr. Lawrence Lim, Penang currently has 30 buildings applying for certification while 10 buildings are on provisionary certification. “Penang was the first state in Malaysia to embrace the Green Building Index,” he added. Among the more notable developments that have applied for the GBI are The Light Project by IJM, The Setia Greens by SP Setia, Brooke Residence and Penaga Hotel, a heritage hotel in George Town.  “Despite the pre...

YB Chow Kon Yeow Level 52 Komtar 10503 Penang 04-2619888 chowkonyeow@penang.gov.my PRESS STATEMENT 11 October, 2012 In support of the family of the late Cheah Chin Lee (died in police custody): Police Yet to Inform Courts of Chin Lee’s Death ¬¬ It is now close to two months after Cheah Chin Lee died in the Police’s custody. I am here today with Chin Lee’s family members who are still waiting for answers. Sadly, despite numerous promises made to the family, the Police have been unable to show any progress for the family to have faith in their efforts. The family’s lawyer wrote to the Magistrates Court of George Town, Penang to enquire about initiating inquest proceedings and received a reply from the court registrar on 25 September, 2012 saying that the courts have not received a Sudden Death Report regarding Chin Lee’s death on 13 August. Section 334 of the Criminal Procedure Code requires, “when any person dies while in the custody of the police or in a mental hospita...

KENYATAAN AKHBAR KONGRES MELAYU PULAU PINANG, (KMPP) Tarikh: 27hb Januari 2012 Kepada: PIHAK MEDIA TEMPATAN. Tajuk: ISU TANAH TANG HAK JU, “Barisan Nasional Berhutang kepada Rakyat Pulau Pinang”. Kenyataan akhbar ini dibuat oleh pihak KMPP adalah mewakili rakyat Pulau Pinang yang terpaksa menanggung wang pampasan RM500,000.00 akibat daripada kecuaian sehingga menyebabkan penipuan keatas seorang individu yang dikenali sebagai Tan Hak Ju. Keputusan oleh Mahkamah Rayuan pada 10/1/2012 tersebut jelas bahawa Kerajaan Negeri sekarang terpaksa menanggung liabiliti yang ditinggalkan oleh kerajaan terdahulu (Barisan Nasional) dimana rakyat negeri ini harus membuka mata bagaimana rakusnya dan licik pentadbiran Kerajaan sebelum ini sehingga mengheret rakyat negeri ini bersama menyelami kemelut kes ini. Walaupun pampasan telah dikurangkan dan sekalipun ianya bernilai RM1.00, ianya tetap wang rakyat yang menjadi pembayar cukai. Janganlah pula Pimpinan Barisan Nasional negeri ini c...