Three planets

Looking eastward, this is tonight's sky at about 7.33pm. Two bright dots in the sky, unmistakably bright Jupiter at the top and a brighter Venus at the bottom. 

I couldn't see it with my less-than-perfect eyesight but when I looked at the image in my mobile phone's camera, there is a small pinprick of light roughly halfway between the two bright planets. That is Saturn, and the three planets are more or less lined up in a straight line.

(Note: This image is far sharper than the one I posted to facebook yesterday. That was taken during an evening walk in the neighbourhood and there was a lot of camera shake that prevented me from getting a sharper image. This evening was better as I could brace myself against my gate.)

Real fear

Some depressing news. If the chatter on social media or news portals are to be believed, there is a great possibility of the appeals court freeing the convicted crook of the century in a few days' time. Whether it comes true or not, we shall have to wait until 08 December 2021 to find out. This outcome is very possible, mind you, and here are some links to news reports that are guaranteed to chill your blood:

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/11/27/najib-files-police-report-claims-evidence-withheld-from-him/

Najib files police report, claims evidence withheld from him 
FMT Reporters -November 27, 2021 1:53 PM

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak today lodged a report to get the police to investigate whether material evidence relevant to his court cases had been concealed by key members of various government agencies and the former Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.

Speaking to reporters outside the Dang Wangi police station in Kuala Lumpur, Najib referred to transactions worth millions of ringgit linked to prosecution witnesses in both his SRC International and 1MDB cases that had only recently been reported or confirmed.

https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/600862

MCA Youth: 'Serious questions' in charges against Najib as Zeti probe incomplete
Published:  Nov 27, 2021 2:11 PM

MCA Youth said there are "serious questions" in the criminal charges brought against ex-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak over the 1MDB scandal.

It said this was because the charges were filed before investigations into the involvement of ex-Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz's family in the same scandal was completed.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2021/11/749274/najib-lodges-report-over-alleged-attempts-conceal-evidence-his-1mdb

Najib lodges report over alleged attempts to conceal evidence in his 1MDB case
By New Straits Times - November 27, 2021 @ 2:09pm

KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today lodged a report urging police to investigate alleged attempts by Pakatan Harapan administration to conceal material evidence from him in relation to the 1Malysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case.

Najib said he was disappointed why no investigation agency revealed the involvement of the former Bank Negara governor's family in the 1MDB case.

"Most Malaysians were shocked with confirmation by MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) last week that a balance RM65 million funds reportedly linked to Jho Low and 1MDB which was returned to Malaysia by Singaporean authorities had some connection to the immediate family of a former central bank governor

https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/601519

Najib files to adduce new evidence on Zeti ahead of SRC appeal verdict

Hidir Reduan Abdul Rashid

Published:  Dec 2, 2021 2:57 PM

Days before the Court of Appeal is set to deliver its verdict on Najib Abdul Razak’s appeal in the RM42 million SRC International graft case, the former premier is seeking to tender new evidence to support his defence.

Through a Notice of Motion filed at the Court of Appeal, Najib is seeking to adduce the viva voce evidence of MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki, the graft buster’s investigating officer Rosli Hussein and several other witnesses.

The Court of Appeal has fixed Dec 8 to deliver its decision on Najib’s appeal to quash the High Court's guilty verdict as well as the 12-year jail term and RM210 million fine in the SRC corruption case.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/12/03/hiding-evidence-in-najibs-trial-will-be-unjust-says-zaid/

Hiding evidence in Najib’s trial will be unjust, says Zaid

Robin Augustin -December 3, 2021 7:20 AM

Zaid Ibrahim (left) says critical evidence was not made available to the defence and it will be unsafe to convict Najib Razak based on the prosecution’s case as presented.

PETALING JAYA: Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has cautioned against a miscarriage of justice in Najib Razak’s trial in the SRC International case at the Court of Appeal.

Speaking to FMT, he said the court should allow Najib’s request for new evidence to be adduced.

Any concealment or suppression of evidence that could help the former prime minister’s defence would be a miscarriage of justice, he added.

Buy a house!

From a friend, Lim Cheng Teik, who is deep into private investments. An admirer of Warren Buffet's style. He wrote this on his facebook, which I found to be very interesting and thought-provoking:

Want to impress people? Get a big house instead of a big car!

A RM 200k house, bought 10 years ago, would be worth at least RM 200k, and most probably it’s worth way more than that.

On the other hand, a RM 200k car bought 10 years ago, would most probably be worth RM 100k or lesser, perhaps way lesser.

Both house and car can show off or use the asset (unlike stocks, which u don’t get to use or show off to people). But one appreciates, and the other depreciates. Over long term, the difference between these 2 is huge.

Then again, I’m never a fan of “big” car. To me, a car is just a vehicle for me to take me from one point to the other. Safety is important. But buying expensive cars just to show off…. Well, let’s just say I prefer to show off big house or big investments than to show off big cars. 

People with rich person’s mindset enjoys owning assets that appreciates. On the other hand, people with middle-class or poor person’s mindset… enjoys owning assets that depreciates. 

To me, I think a good ratio of House value to Car value is 10 to 1 or higher. Meaning, if you wanna drive a Mercedes worth RM 400k, then get a RM 4 mil house first. 

I know of people who drive a big car, but they’re living in a small apartment. Really got the Car/ House upside down in “showing off”. Till today, he’s still struggling financially.

I personally think car is one of the worst assets, as that’s one big asset that u buy that depreciates so much in %, and if you’re buying a big car… the depreciation in amount is perhaps, the biggest in your expense

Booster jabs taken

I received a notification on the MySejahtera app about a week ago to inform me that I had been scheduled for a Pfizer booster jab on the 28th of November. Likewise, so did my wife. For the past week, we have been rather undecisive whether to take the jab or not. Some said we would be better off taking a Sinovac booster. But finally, we summoned up enough courage to take the jabs together, especially since we learnt that many of our older friends and relatives in their 80s had already received theirs without any problem. 

So we turned up at the Flextronics plant in Bukit Minyak yesterday afternoon. However, there was a last hurdle. As we walked straight in, some friends were coming out and they said that from today (29 Nov), people could have a choice between Pfizer and Sinovac. Therefore, they had declined their scheduled Pfizer booster jabs and would go to the SPICE Arena in Seberang Jaya to get their Sinovac vaccinations instead. 

My wife's will started to dither but I was quite firm that we had come to Flextronics to get our Pfizer jabs and we should get them over with. What the heck; if people start choosing Sinovac, there will probably be a long queue from the 29th onwards and queues were what we wanted to avoid. Moreover, as it was already almost six months since our second Sinovac jab in June, I was very concerned that the efficacy could now be very low. I reasoned that we should take the Pfizer jab now and not delay any longer. For sure, there weren't many people at the Flextronics vaccination centre and it was very smooth-flowing all the way. Also, if the rumours are true, I don't want having to take a booster jab every three months if I were to continue with Sinovac. It will be madness! 

I'm happy to relate that 24 hours after the jab, we haven't had any adverse side effect today except for the expected soreness at the site of the injection. No fatigue encountered too. The panadol tablets remain kept in the medicine cabinet.

All the hyped-up news of one or two deaths after their booster jabs compared with the millions who have taken theirs successfully.... Personally, they are playing psychological havoc with people's minds and emotions. We just need to analyse the situation rationally and go for the offered Pfizer jabs. Besides, I'm confident that these are not the original Pfizer jabs. Science does not stand still. Research does not stand still. What goes into the present Pfizer vaccine should have been modified over the original.

Revenue stamps

I uncovered some old legal documents lately. They were great! Some of them - comprising Indentures, Deeds and Mortgage Conveyances - carried revenue stamps and marks from the era of the Straits Settlements. 

A five-dollar or even a one-dollar revenue stamp isn't worth much in today's world but back in those days - one of the documents dating back to 1898 - it must have cost an arm and a leg to buy. But they were compulsory for affixing on documents to make them legal. 

Great addition to our historical records and knowledge!

Phishing at its worse!

I came across this post on facebook, written by a chap called Smith Ang. I thought it is significant enough to warrant a reproduction on my blog. The incident shows that you cannot trust seemingly innocent posts on the Internet nowadays, social media included. We have to be very careful about the information we disclose. So this is the facebook post in question....

This is the Most Sophisticated Phishing I've seen so far. And it happened to me minutes ago.

Part 1: The Bait- Creating the Perfect avenue 

I've been searching for cleaners, and Facebook prompted one of the ads that caught my attention. Promotion! Who doesn't like a good 50% promo 🙂

Part 2: The Hook- The power of "Call To Action"

The "Call To Action" of the ads will bring you directly to the "vendor" WhatsApp. As you can see in the WhatsApp chat, I was asked to download an App, an APK file to be exact. Rarely do vendors ask their customers to download APK files directly, Most will give you a link to the official app store. (Tip1: Don't trust anyone that sends you .APK file. That doesn't mean the official app store is safe either)

Part 3: The Trojan

After installing, the app requested SMS read permission. Huh? Why do you need that for a Maid Booking App? (Tip2: If App request permission for something more than it should, then it shouldn't)

Part 4: Intel Gathering

The App is well-built, even had its PDPA disclosure done correctly. The registration info required are Name, Email, Password, Mobile Number. Upon finding the date and package I wanted, I had to key in my address. 

Part 5: The Bank

Now come to the part where I have to make payment. Conveniently, the credit card payment is grayed out ("Under maintenance"), the only option available is FPX. There are a few banks to prey on: Maybank, Affin, Public, CIMB, BSN and RHB. After selecting the desired bank, a very familiar bank interface appears in front of you. If you see the Maybank UI, there is a note:- "Note: you are in a secured site" that replaces the catchphrase. (Tip 3: Hmm... will a thief tell you he is not a thief?)

Okay, so when filling up the bank login detail, no matter what you put in, it will always show "Invalid User ID or Password [Err Code: FE0067]. Now, this gibberish error code is the same for all the banks you selected. Don't tell me all the banks are using the same system developer? I had a bad feeling, but I brushed it off as I was too tired.

Part 6: Heist

The next day, I received the SMS:

RM0 PBe DO NOT share this code. DuitNow Transfer RM4,860.00 to NOORALIF SAFWA.
S/N: DC0334071 
PAC No: 
12Nov21 14:52 
For enquiry, pls call 03-21799999

I immediately log into my bank account, and I receive the "Duplicate Login" and there, what I suspected. Without hesitation, I spring into quick finger mode. I was fighting access with the intruder for the login rights. Whenever I tried to change my password, it will be logged out. Years of playing Speed Typing games during my younger days boosted my typing speed +99999. I won the login match and changed the password. (Tip 4: Don't wait, stay calm and secure the situation)

Part 7: Data Exposure

So what is the data that was exposed by using this app?

1. Name
2. 3. Phone Number
4. Email Address
5. Mobile Phone
6. Address
7. Bank User ID
8. Bank Password

This is a very sophisticated operation. Why?

1. It prays on our (mainly me la) weakness- Got Promotion ah?

2. The entire scam ecosystem is well planned- From the curation of the Marketing and Advertisement to the almost flawless APP.

Note: 

For those who are unaware, when you allow the app permission to read your SMS, this will include the incoming PAC/OTP code that your bank sends (SMS) to you for dual-factor authentication.

So this is my adventure on the 12 of Nov 2021.

Enjoy reading and be careful.

The Ban Hin Lee Bank building

The stately Ban Hin Lee Bank building in George Town, Penang, was built by Yeap Chor Ee soon after the bank's incorporation in 1935. It is still standing today at the corner of Beach Street and China Street Ghaut but it now belongs to the CIMB Group. The reason is because Ban Hin Lee Bank was absorbed into Southern Bank in 2001 and later, Southern Bank was taken over by the CIMB Group in 2006. 

This was how the bank building looked like in 1939, a year after its completion. It was already a very imposing white structure at the edge of the European sector of Beach Street. The book, Ten Thousand Prosperities, described how Yeap Chor Ee had moved his bank from further up the road at Number 86, to this location at Number 43. As his influence grew, it became part of his general strategy to move his concerns in the Chinese quarter to as close as possible to the European sector. Practically at their doorstep to tell them that they could do business with him. It took decades for him to make this happen.

The bank building in 1985, when Ban Hin Lee Bank was supposed to be celebrating its 50th anniversary. But it was not to be as in October of that year, tragedy struck in the death of the bank's executive director, Jimmy Yeap.

The bank building in 2014. By then, ownership had transitioned from Ban Hin Lee Bank to Southern Bank and finally, to the CIMB Group. This picture was taken on a Sunday when one of the Occupy Beach Street events was taking place.

The bank building today. Still as stately as before but probably possessing less warmth.

This 2021 would have been Ban Hin Lee Bank's 86th anniversary year. It was formally registered as a company on 17th Sept 1935 although its banking operations only commenced on 1st Nov 1935. Only the memories remain for the faithful customers and those who had ever worked there through the decades. For an important slice of Penang's banking history, this hardcover book tells all. Ten Thousand Prosperities can be purchased online from Entrepot Publishing.

Sacrilegious!

I'm appalled! Any attempt to even suggest shutting down the Penang Hill Railway is sacrilegious. And with the suggestion coming from no less a person than the Chief Minister, it is unforgiveable. Have we not lost enough of the state's heritage in recent years? Have we forgotten how the beloved Penang Ferry has been consigned to a footnote in history? Therefore, any attempt to close down the Penang Hill railway system should be resisted!

We need a Penang-born Chief Minister who can and will appreciate Penang's heritage and cultural richness. He should exhaust all ways to address the maintenance and safety of the Penang Hill railway system, instead of taking a shortcut by saying it could be closed down. Could it be that he wants to push for the cable car system at the expense of the hill railway?

Ipoh food excursion

Returned home from Ipoh yesterday night after spending an overnight trip there to meet up at a halfway point with several chess friends who had travelled up from the Klang Valley. Surprised them all because I was a totally unexpected presence. Only the host was in the know.

Though chess was the main excuse for the get-together - yes, we did play some games with a few resident chess players from Ipoh - the emphasis was heavily on food. Good food was always on our minds and with a perfectly good host who understood our needs and wants, there was no lacking of good places to go for a filling meal.

For example, on Monday afternoon itself we decided to sample their local beancurd or tau hwa (the Cantonese in Ipoh would call it taufu fah) from one particular shop in Yang Kalsom Road and let me tell you that this bowl of tau hwa was really an experience: it was one of the softest and smoothest I've ever had in a long time!

After that we wanted to have mee rebus. Unfortunately, the first restaurant we went to would not allow people to dine in, thus forcing our host to take us on another long drive to Tasek Jaya which served this Malay dish. Verdict: the broth was exemplary. If not for the fact that we would be taking our dinner soon, I guess many of us would have ordered a second bowl. 

Dinner was, of course, the famous Ipoh chicken rice. The coronavirus not withstanding, the place was filled with diners. After happily gorging ourselves silly with chicken rice and taugeh at one of the joints, we finally adjourned to meet with some local chess players.

Day Two of our food excursion began with an early six o'clock breakfast at a timsum restaurant behind the Excelsior Hotel where we stayed. Ipoh is reputedly famous for their timsum fare and this was only the second time that I had the opportunity to try it out. In my opinion, this reputation is well deserved because definitely, nothing in Penang can really compare with the quality of the timsum in Ipoh.

Two hours later, we had a second round of breakfast. This time, it was Ipoh's version of curry mee. It was a bit pricey because of additional fillings but in my opinion again, the overall quality was nothing much to shout about. Some of us commented that there was too much curry powder in the broth. Maybe I'm being too judgmental but the bowl lacked two very important factors: what is curry mee without cockles and curdled pig's blood?

By the way, did I mention earlier that I had enjoyed timsum only twice in my life in Ipoh? Make that thrice now, because immediately after we finished the curry mee, we went back to the hotel to pick up another chessmate and then proceeded to a halal timsum restaurant in Canning Garden. Needless to say, it was fabulous food again. 

After checking out from the hotel, our final food destination was a Chinese restaurant in Pasir Puteh. Unfortunately, we were still rather full and could not order a wider variety of dishes. Nevertheless, it was the company which made the occasion perfect and we parted ways soon after that.

Beancurd with various toppings (gingko, grass jelly and peach raisin) from Bigmom Beancurd at Yang Kalsom Road

Restoran Mee Rebus Ramli in Taman Tasek Jaya along Kuala Kangsar Road 

Chicken and taugeh from Ong Kee Bean Sprouts Chicken Rice Restaurant in Yau Tet Shin Road

We played a few games with Ipoh chess players in a hawker outlet known as Poziah Enterprise in Gunong Rapat. No food, but I had a cup of teh halia. Was surprised to find some crushed ginger at the bottom of the glass. Totally unexpected. Learnt later that this area was a popular stop during the day time for people wishing to buy pomelo.

First breakfast of the day at the Ming Court Hongkong Dimsum Restaurant in Leong Sin Nam Road

Second breakfast of curry mee from the Restoran Xin Quan Fang (Sin Chuan Fong) in Hugh Low Street

Followed by a third breakfast at the Canning Dimsum Restaurant in Cecil Rae Street

The few of us at the Mun Choong Restaurant in Pasir Puteh Road. Standing, left to right, Andrew Tan, myself, Thomas Chan, Roy Ng and Tham Tick Hong. Seated, left to right, Chew Soon Keong, Wahid Karim and Chia Soon Keat

Just avoid the main roads

I was forewarned before I ventured out to the island yesterday that the traffic would be terrible. Not only was it a Friday but it was also the midst of the Deepavali festive weekend. Hordes of outstation tourists would be making their way to Penang for a getaway break after emerging from an enforced lockdown due to the coronavirus.

But what could I do? This fifth of November also coincided with the first day of the Chinese tenth lunar month and at the start of every Chinese lunar month, as well as on the 15th day, my Swee Cheok Tong Seh Quah Kongsi would have a small worship session for our resident deities. Nothing elaborate, mind you, my vice-president and I would be at the Kongsi premises to offer joss-sticks at the various altars. 

Besides which, I had an event to attend at the Penang Institute later in the evening: a talk to launch Blue Sky Mansion which is a novel by HY Yeang, formerly a research scientist at the Rubber Research Institute in Kuala Lumpur. 

I told myself that it would be necessary to drive smart. If you know the roads well enough, you can avoid the typically heavy-laden main roads by moving through the secondary ones. It's not a 100 percent fail-proof plan but it generally works well enough for me. Avoid the main roads. Take the secondary roads. Maybe a longer distance to cover but I can get to my destination without the frustration of getting caught in slow-moving traffic or worse, a jam.

The first inkling I had of the traffic situation was even before I left the mainland. Traffic on the North-South Expressway itself was moving very slowly. People were driving northwards to Alor Star and there was the bottleneck at Seberang Jaya. But luckily, the lane towards the Penang Bridge was clear, as well as traffic flow on the bridge itself.

The initial crawl came after the Sungai Pinang Road interchange on the Lim Chong Eu Expressway but once I managed to turn from Weld Quay into Malay Street Ghaut, all the tension flowed away. Armenian Street was clear too - surprise. surprise - and I had no problem making my stop at Carnarvon Lane.

Going to Pulau Tikus later was, however, quite messy. First, I was held up at the junction of Malay Street and Carnarvon Street. And after that came Magazine Road, Penang Road and Burmah Road. But a little patience will solve almost everything. Pangkor Road was clear but Kelawei Road slowed me down a bit. Luckily, I turned off into Cantonment Road and then back into Burmah Road before I found a parking space in Moulmein Close. After a quick dinner at the hawker centre outside the market, I found myself driving smoothly to the Penang Institute in Brown Road.

Lunch in Kuala Kurau

It was our first sojourn out of Penang since the lifting of the pandemic restrictions last month. There was a scheduled drive to Nibong Tebal to deliver some stuff and we took the opportunity to continue across to Kuala Kurau in Perak. It was a very short trip from Nibong Tebal: not more than a 45-minute drive to our destination for a hearty meal.

To begin with, we ordered a plate of fried prawn rolls which we found to be much nicer than the ones sold typically in timsum restaurants. I glanced at the next table and saw two senior citizens enjoying a pot of fresh seafood cooked in a rich coconut milk curry. We must have that! And so, I wandered around this seafront Kean Seng Lee coffee shop and found the stall. No crab for us, I told the cook, give me just the prawns and sotong. Finally, I made a short walk to order my regular fried prawn omelette. Together with a bowl of ice kachang, the meal cost us not more than RM60. A happy meal, indeed!

Oxymoron

Are you oxymoronic? Sorry, I don't mean to call anyone a moron but I merely said oxymoron. In the dictionaries, this is described as a phrase that contradicts itself. Oxymoron is a play with words. Usually, two words that contract one another. Can sorrow ever be sweet? Yes, said William Shakespeare. In his Romeo and Juliet, sweet sorrow was uttered by his heroine, remember? 

Countless other examples occur in everyday use and below is a non-exhaustive list. During my working days, we always typed Please sign on the duplicate copy and return it to us on correspondences to customers when we wanted them to acknowledge the receipt of our letters. Sometimes, we used a rubber stamp that said original copy on the duplicate copy of the letters. Oops, I did it again!

Lawyers liked to say final draft which left me scratching my noggin. Economists loved to achieve zero deficit, don't they? And when I was in school, there was once in 1967 when the teachers went on strike and some senior pupils from Form Six stepped in temporarily to become student teachers for an hour or two.

Although prevalent in the past, even today we sometimes cannot tell genuine imitations apart from the real goods being hocked online until it is too late. And is a true myth the same as fake news? Not that I'm demanding an answer from anyone. You can choose to do nothing!

Slower than claimed

It has come a full circle. The documents that I had sent earlier by FedEx to a friend in Budapest to have them signed are now returned to me. I received the package yesterday from DHL Express, a mere four days after it was handed over to their office in the Hungarian capital. 

Has DHL Express been any faster or slower than FedEx? From the tracking of the two packages, the two courier companies were equally efficient. Four days from one corner of the world to another. 

But of course, they took different routes. My package to Hungary went the way of Guangzhou in China and then Paris in France. My friend's package from Hungary went through Leipzig in Germany and then Singapore.

The only delay as I could see was at the Penang end. Initially from the DHL Express tracking website, the package was estimated to reach me a day earlier. When I first looked at it, the thought coming to me was that it would be impossible. Three days for the package to travel from Budapest to Bukit Mertajam? Impossible.

Yet, I was hoping that it would still happen. Not that I wanted DHL Express to trump FedEx in the efficiency race. Nope. I only wanted to see whether they could deliver according to their estimate.

At the end, no. The package arrived at their distribution point in Penang at about 11.45am of the third day but it stayed there overnight. I received it at about 1pm the next day. DHL Express could have impressed me if they had delivered on time and not the fourth day.

But never mind, I did receive back the documents after all. They are now in my safe hands and awaiting my further actions.

Penang, Kedah and Siam

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/10/29/siam-not-kedah-lost-penang-to-the-british-says-expert/

Siam, not Kedah, lost Penang to the British, says expert
Predeep Nambiar 
October 29, 2021 11:51 AM

A display at the National Museum in Bangkok recognising Koh Mak, or Penang Island, as the first Siamese territory lost to foreign powers, marked with the symbol ‘1’. (Clement Liang pic)

GEORGE TOWN: As a debate over an annual honorarium rages, a heritage expert has given a brief outline of Penang’s history since Kedah leased it to the British in 1786.

Clement Liang, a council member of Penang Heritage Trust, said Kedah had no territorial right over the island when it agreed to the lease because it was Thailand, then known as Siam, that had sovereignty over it.

Kedah leased it without the Siamese king’s knowledge, he said.

Thai history textbooks and the national museum in Bangkok show that Penang island, or Koh Mak, was the first territory that Siam lost to a western power.

Liang said Saiburi, as Kedah was known then, was in subsequent years raided frequently by the Siamese force for its disobedience. In 1821, a war known as Perang Bisik saw Kuala Kedah destroyed and thousands of Kedahans escaping to Province Wellesley for safety and resettlement.

In 1826, King Rama III and British officials signed the Burney Treaty to establish Siam’s independence from European powers.

The treaty recognised Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu and Pattani as Siamese provinces and Penang and Province Wellesley as British territories.

A boundary stone separating Saiburi (Kedah) and Province Wellesley (Seberang Perai) on the northeastern border of Seberang Perai. (Clement Liang pic)

“The Burney Treaty effectively nullified the leasehold status of Penang as agreed earlier between the sultan of Kedah and the East India Company,” Liang said.

“Boundary stones marked Siamese and British territories, some of which are still in existence in Seberang Perai today.”

He said it was only in 1909 that the Siamese kingdom returned Kedah and three other northern Malay states to the British. However, Kedah was given back to the Siamese in 1943 during the Japanese occupation.

He said Penang had long been under British control and the question of its being Kedah’s territory was moot.

“Kedah suffered years of non-recognition and dubious sovereign status, worsened by power struggles in the royal court.

“So, the question of Kedah having the right to claim Penang or even collect the annual leasing fees is no longer valid,” he said.

Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla told FMT Kedah lost its right to reclaim Penang when it signed the Federation of Malaya agreement in 1948 along with other Malay states.

He said the Kedah ruler signed another Malayan federation agreement in 1957 but did not make any territorial claim over Penang.

“With no specific clauses in the agreements of 1948 and 1957 on Kedah’s claim over Penang, Kedah effectively relinquished its claim on its former territories,” he said.

“The Kedah ruler did not make any claim on Penang and Province Wellesley (now Seberang Perai) in both these agreements.

“Furthermore, the Federal Constitution recognises the state of Penang as having rights equal to any other state in the country.

“Hence, any claim to reclaim it or seek payments for a so-called lease is weak.”

Japan, Day 6: Dotonbori

Exactly four years ago to the very day, my family and I were in Dotonbori, that touristy part of Osaka in Japan which featured the Glico running man advertisement that I had written on previously. How we had ended up in Dotonbori is a story by itself.

When I booked our holiday tickets to Japan in 2017, we did not realise that the Malaysian Budget would be presented in Parliament on the 27th of October. It was my wife's job to monitor the Budget proceedings for her boss, now her ex-boss. That was her job to get into the finer details because, let's face it, bosses are generally useless. They greatly depend on others to gather information for them. What they spew in public as "their opinion" is nothing more than the parroted opinion of other people working around them. At least, that's what happened in her workplace from 2014 till 2020.

Faced with this dilemma, I had to plan a way out for my wife. Since we were going to be in Osaka, we decided to go into one of their tourist centres, plant ourselves in a place with a good wifi connection and she could then work for a few hours while the rest of us were free to explore the area. That was how we ended up in Dotonbori, within walking distance from the Kuromon market.

My first impression of the place was that it was full of entertainment and food outlets. Karaoke joints and sake bars. All sorts of popular food were available. Ramen. Snow crabs. Fugu. Sushi. Yakitori. Gyoza. Eateries along both sides of the canal too. Then there was Starbucks outlet in the Tsutaya store, which we eventually gravitated to. We chose the second or third levels for some privacy but later, decided to go downstairs when the floor closed at five o'clock. But generally, we were still at Tsutaya.

Kinryu Ramen honten outlet with crap seating arrangements for non-Japanese customers who are forced to sit sideways in order to eat properly. 

Crappy attitude too, trying to prevent me from taking a picture of their open kitchen which was open for all to see

Snow crab restaurant

Fugu fish for those willing to skirt with danger, but I guess since this has been on the Japanese menu for centuries, it should be safe enough to eat

But sushi should be a safe bet for everybody 

Souvenirs, anyone?

Gyoza joint

Tsutaya book store with a Starbuck outlet on the ground floor

But books in Japanese, generally

Some entertainment along the Dotonburi canal

Human traffic in the Shinsaibashi shopping mall

A different crowd of tourists when the lights were turned on. The Shinsaibashi shopping mall was in the far distance and the Ebisu bridge just ahead of me

We were caught on a CCTV camera and our image appeared on a huge LED screen on one of the buildings