Asean Culture Centre

Recently, Sdra Oh Tong Keong, Penang Gerakan Youth Chief raised various concerns regarding the poor management of the Asean Culture Centre (see Star report below).

However, there are other curiousities that boggle the mind, such as:-

Why did Matex deny that they are the organisor(in the Chinese press) when the banners proclaiming this event hanged around the island stated that they where the organisor?

The event was not promoted on their website.

If Matex is not the organisor, who is the actual organisor?

I have seen email promoting this event, it seem quite vague.

How much public fund was  wasted in organising the flopped event?  

Someone need to be held accountable...

Note:
 MATEX (MALAYSIA TOURISM EXECUTIVE SDN. BHD) formerly known as Truly Consultancy & Development (M) Sdn. Bhd, is a joint venture company with Pembangunan Pelancongan Nasional (PEMPENA), a subsidiary of Tourism Malaysia (Ministry of Tourism).

Tuesday October 28, 2008
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THE state government should consider getting professional event management companies to organise the Penang Pesta Expo to prevent the annual year-end event from becoming a flop.

Penang Gerakan Youth chief Oh Tong Keong said the state government needed to be sincere about making the Pesta expo a success by not doing the job half-heartedly and end up turning it into an embarrassment.

“The Pesta Asean Culture Centre expo, which is currently ongoing, is a failure. It is poorly managed and the number of international stalls have dwindled since it opened early this month.

“Only the Indonesian and Thai stalls remain while the others from Asean countries like the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia had folded,” he told a press conference at the Pesta expo site in Sungai Nibong yesterday.

It was reported recently that the newly-introduced expo, which opens daily from 3pm to 11pm, had suffered poor visitor turnout during the non-school holiday season.

State Tourism, Development, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang had cited poor publicity on the expo by event manager Malaysia Tourism Executive Sdn Bhd (MATEX) as one of the causes.

Oh said Law was pushing the responsibility to Matex, which was said to have told a Chinese daily that it was not the orga niser of the Asean Culture Centre expo.

“The Pesta expo has been in the local scene for about four decades and it would be ashamed to see it end up like this. We do not want it to be an embarrassment to Penangites,” he said.

He hoped pulic funds were not used to organise the event in view of its failure.

Law had announced last week that the expo, scheduled for non-school holiday season, would be scrapped next year due to its poor showing now.

The expo, to be held until Oct 31, was introduced this year in addition to the one in December by the state government to fully utilise the pesta site.

LGE in Korea again?

Hooked on "hallyu"?

It's just another way of saying "Korean wave" and if it hasn't hit your hometown yet, wait.

Korean TV dramas have managed to rope in audiences from New York to Hawaii to Egypt and turn them into raving, loyal fans.

What's the attraction?

Much like American soap operas Korean TV dramas feature forbidden love, meddling relatives, and thieving business partners. The major difference is that plot lines end usually after 16 to 20 hour-long episodes no matter how popular they have become........(excerpt from Pop Culture - Korean Drama)


LGE in Korea again within six months!!!  

LGE and Co. could be loyal fans or they are on the verge of successfully getting Korean investments.   Which is true?  Fans or investments? Soon, he will have to answer in the State Assembly.


The Star, Friday October 31, 2008
Gerakan hits out at Penang govt’s S. Korea trade visit


GEORGE TOWN: The Pakatan Rakyat state government has come under fire for sending a 52-member trade delegation to South Korea during the global economic crisis.

Gerakan vice-president Huan Cheng Guan questioned the effectiveness of the trip, saying the state government could not even solve the financial crisis faced by the Football Association of Penang or hold a successful cultural expo at the Penang Pesta site.

“The Koreans are now busy rescuing their own companies; do you think they have time for us? (Chief Minister) Lim Guan Eng should take care of his own backyard and ensure that everything is in order before leaving the country,” he added.

Huan pointed out that Lim had yet to reveal the outcome of his trip to South Korea in May.

“Now, he is going there again. Why must he bring his deputy (Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin) along with his wife (Betty Chew) and two DAP MPs (Jeff Ooi and Liew Chin Tong)?” Huan asked, adding that he had never followed former chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon on trade missions when he was the Batu Kawan MP.

Lim is on a trade and investment promotion mission to Seoul until tomorrow.

He is scheduled to have business meetings with several South Korean companies and potential investors in various sectors like electronics, health care, education and travel as well as with the South Korean Deputy Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture.

The delegation includes Penang Development Corporation general manager Datuk Rosli Jaafar, investPenang executive committee chairman Datuk Lee Kah Choon and three officials as well as private sector participants.

Penang Umno liaison committee deputy chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Rashid Abdullah questioned the need for such a big delegation, saying the largest entourage the previous state administration had ever handled was only 25 people.

“The DAP criticised the previous Barisan Nasional administration for allegedly not doing anything right but now they are keeping quiet when spending taxpayers’ money.

“What has happened to their much talked about Competency, Accountability and Transparency (CAT) system? Has Guan Eng ever told the people that he travelled Business Class or First Class whenever he goes on official overseas trips?” he asked.

Penang Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan said the Pakatan state government should look after the existing investors and provide a conducive environment for them to stay on in light of the current world economic situation instead of wooing new ones.

SMJK Phor Tay: Mixing Partisan Politics with Buddhism

Yesterday when I read in the newspapers that Venerable Wei Wu - a revered Buddhist monk in Malaysia - had to answered allegations of impropriety by Lim Guan Eng's proxy, it dawn upon me the extreme politiking that Pakatan Rakyat politicians and cronies are willing to execute in order to control most if not all organisations in Penang.

It pains me to see a revered Buddhist monk having to defend himself against trump up allegations.

Lim Guan Eng who recently became the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Silver Jubilee Home of the Aged, through his proxy is trying to create chaos in the SMJK Phor Tay (a Buddhist Secondary school) board. This new SMJK Phor Tay is built on the Silver Jubilee Home's land on a 60 years lease.

Chaos is opportunity - an opportunity to seize control of Phor Tay and make it into another Han Chiang. Another great bastion for DAP.

In the worst case scenerio for the DAP, make the new SMJK Phor Tay building project a failure or saddled it with numerous problems and blame it on the previous government.

This is in stark contrast to Sdra Koh Tsu Koon who I remember requested members not to involved societies and organisations with partisan politics. I disagreed with him on this point except for charitable & religious societies and organisations.

What is the used of a political movement if it is not involved with the general societies and organisations. But, there most be a limit, the limit should for be charitable and religious societies and organisations.

Unfortunately, Lim Guan Eng, a non-Buddhist do not comprehend practising Buddhists psyche - WE DO NOT MIX PARTISAN POLITICS WITH RELIGION.  He should ask his father LKS to explain to him.

Ultimately, Lim Guan Eng probably want to be in control of Phor Tay directly or thru a proxy.

The battles to seize and control societies and organisations by the DAP have started in earnest...............

Read also Buddhism & Politics by Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera