THE LAST couple of weeks, amidst feverish debates before and during the UMNO General Assembly (read here) as well as on the coming by-elections (read here), an issue that will affect Penangites, indeed all Malaysians, has been a cause for deep concern: Will the public space for debate continue to remain as open as before?

The recent ban on all new media to cover the UMNO GA and the temporary suspension of Suara Keadilan and Harakah suggest this space, for different reasons and motives, is being constricted. Read here for the Home Minister's reasons and here for NUJ's reaction.

In Penang specifically, this matter of public debate is being illustrated in three areas (1) the barring of New Straits Times from Penang government press conferences (2) the George Town World Heritage status and (3) the proposed tiger park in Relau:

The barring of New Straits Times: The state government's barring of the News Straits Times (NST) from press conferences has elicited comments from various quarters on matters of principle. Owner biases notwithstanding, a free press is closely associated with democracy. Gagging it is not the right solution, they say:

• Terence Fernandez of theSun calls for a more reasoned approach saying “nobody wins when emotions rule the day and civilised rules of engagement are thrown out the window.” Read here.
• Anil Netto is of the view, “Gutter journalism should rightly be condemned but barring ‘unfriendly’ media from covering events or suspending their permits leaves a bad taste in the mouth.” Read here.
• Karpal calls for the ban on NST to be revoked. He said: “We believe in the freedom of the press as it looks at both the right and wrong side of the administration of the government”. Read here.

For more on MEDIA, read here.

George Town World Heritage status: As the first review of the WHS approaches, stakeholders are beginning to make their positions clearer. Reflected in many of them is the past lack of openness coming back to haunt the present:

• The state government, taking its cue from the federal government, has asked that the debate remains behind closed doors while planning permission for the four projects is being withheld. Read here.
• The Penang Heritage Trust has applauded the stance taken by the state and federal governments, saying: “This is an important step forward for our policy makers. The state government should now establish a clear principle that no developer should be allowed to pursue its short-term interests over the long-term interests of the city’s prosperity as a Unesco World Heritage site.” Read here.
• Business Times writer Marina Emmanuel questioned Penang’s seriousness in retaining the WHS status. Read here.
• An aide of the Chief Minister has reportedly proposed an "official domestic inquiry". Read here.
• Eastern & Oriental Bhd (E&O) is halting expansion work pending clarification on height restrictions. Read here.

For more on HERITAGE, read here.

The proposed tiger park in Relau: This issue, which in the mind of many clearly shows the need for consultation-before-announcement, has exploded. It illustrates that (1) Penang has a very active, engaged and informed platform of public activists with the interests of the state in mind and (2) a wide cross section of Penang people is opposed to the idea. Read here and here for the various views expressed.

Apart from the above, the following deserve mention:

• “Triple win” strategy for business: CM Lim Guan Eng says that businesses should adopt a "triple win" to benefit the state, society and company. Read here.
• Good and bad news on property: Over RM2bil worth of property is to be rolled out in the next couple years (read here), however, for the moment, the property market has slowed down. Read here.
• Sampan ride at the clan jetties: The government is talking to jetty residents to provide sampan rides on a regular basis. Read here.
• The Fairus saga continues: The latest is that the former Deputy Chief Minister II has been picked up by the MACC (read here) and Gerakan is asking for an explanation. Read here.
• Chow-Ooi exchange: A public disgreement has apparently broken out between Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow and chief-of-staff Jeff Ooi. Read here.

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