AEPF-7 Opening Speech of Charles Santiago

Published : October 13, 2008       Source : Asia-Europe People's Forum

OPENING SPEECH OF CHARLES SANTIAGO
Member of Parliament, Democratic Action Party. Malaysia
Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation (MSN, Malaysia)

Beijing, China

Chairperson
His Excellency Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister of China
Honorable Heidi Hautala, Member of Parliament, Finland
Members of the IOC and NOC
Friends

I bring you greetings of peace and solidarity from the civil society in Malaysia.

It is ten years since many of us met in London in one of the earliest Asia Europe People’s Forums. Our solemn mood then was shaped very much by the fall-out of what was called the Asian economic crisis. In that context, one economy after another – Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines – went belly-up. And the once-praised developmental model fell into disrepute.

MP: Seek underground water instead of building dams

by  Chan Kok Leong     Published 15 Apr 2008      Source : Malaysiakini

Klang parliamentarian Charles Santiago questioned the rational behind the Selangor government's decision to continue with the Pahang-Selangor dam project.
Noting that the project would bring more harmful effects than benefits, the DAP politician said that Selangor should re-consider and look at other options.

"Instead of building a dam in Pahang, which will cause many environmental and ecological detriments, the Selangor state government should explore other options.

"And while there is no guarantee (as rainfall may reduce drastically due to global warming and climate change) that a dam in Pahang will provide a steady flow of raw water to Selangor, the effects of a permanent dam are irreversible," said the 48-year-old political scientist when contacted today.

Civil society enters election fray

by Baradan Kuppusamy     Published 15 Feb 2008    Source : Malaysiakini

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi had parliament dissolved Wednesday, paving the way for snap elections that political analysts say will see the opposition gain ground thanks to voter discontent over rising prices, crime and ethnic tension.

The government held over 90 percent of seats in the just dissolved 222-member parliament.
While the ruling 14-party Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition government led by Abdullah is in no danger of losing power, the results are expected to reflect unhappiness over a multiplicity of issues by sensitised voters.

Abdullah's popularity had soared to over 90 percent in 2004, the year he won his first mandate on a populist platform of curbing corruption and ensuring government transparency and accountability. But that popularity has taken a beating in recent months.
According to recent opinion polls, his popularity has slid down to about 60 percent, low by Malaysian standards, analysts said.