Category: Development EN

Economic growth is now sacrosanct all over the world. All governments adopt it and most citizens just accept it. Governments don't pay the price and keep doing the easy sell to their citizens. Economists do creative accounting and externalise all the social and environmental costs that citizens bear. If all the externalities are added (or rather deducted), in the calculation of GDP, the...

Industrialists, governments, advertisers and PR agencies want us to believe that consumption is the way to attain happiness. We are made into consumers to keep the factories and economic activities flourishing. Chasing status and materialism by consumption. Buying unnecessary goods, getting new models, getting miracle products... the cycle never ends and our greed is never satisfied. And the...

In the 21st century, we will look for places worth staying in. Back to nature, to peace and quiet, to less crowded places and fresher air. The trend is already here, big cities are depopulating due to many factors, including unaffordable prices, polluted air, overcrowding, traffic jams, not enough nature, etc. Simply not a good place to stay in. This is aided by the work-at-home movement, better...

  The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) is of the opinion that the implementation of the Penang speedboat had been done without considering many crucial factors that will adversely affect foot pedestrians. What is of great concern is that there are no social distancing measures in place for the entire travel process, from the speedboat to the shuttle buses arranged to ferry commuters to...

You are excited when the developer sends you a much awaited letter to take vacant possession (VP) of your house. Having taken the keys, you want to get water and electricity connected. But the developer has not given you any application forms, which should be given with the keys. This has been happening and can happen to any house buyer. A purchaser of a condominium unit at Southbay Plaza, Batu...

Ferry pedestrian commuters are expressing concern about the way the government is disclosing information in piece meal basis about the transformation of ferry services from 1 January 2021. As an example, pedestrian commuters are worried that after buying their speed boat ticket at the ticketing booth at the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal in Butterworth they have to ascend/descend a steep...

  CAP wrote to the Director-General of the Department of Biosafety in the Ministry of Environment and Water, Malaysia to comment on the application for approval for release of genetically modified products of J101 Alfalfa (Medicago sativa). We also commented on the application for approval for release of genetically modified products of MON 15985 cotton (Gossypium hersitum). We recommended...

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) considers the RM64 million spent on the purchase of new ferries and upgrading of the ferry terminals as being wasteful as the existing fleet of ferries could be maintained at a lower cost. Before the introduction of the catamaran ‘water buses’, there should have been a public inquiry to find out how and why the ferries failed. The causes should be...