Disregarding the safety of human life, Penang govt turns developer govt

The occurrence of the Tanjung Bungah landslide and the subsequent responses by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, shows that the DAP-helmed Penang state government, is exactly as what a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has claimed, ie it is merely a developer government which safeguards the developers’ interests, instead of the safety and lives of the Penangites.

The reality is as stark as it seems-The Penang state government approved the project even when the Department of Environment (DOE) objected against it. Now this development has resulted in a landslide at the construction site, as well as the loss of 11 innocent lives.

However, Penang Exco Chow Kon Yeow still defends the development, claiming that it fulfils all requirements and is thus being approved. What are the compliance and standards of these so-called ‘‘requirements’’? Why did the landslide still occurr even when the development achieved so-called safety compliance? Chow Kon Yeow, please explain.

Meanwhile, Chow Kon Yeow also claimed that a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) will be set up to conduct the probe. But at the same time he keeps saying that the incident was not caused by the distance between the quarry and construction site, or any form of professional negligence. The so-called RCI has not even commenced its probe, yet Chow Kon Yeow has already denied all possible factors. How can he be so sure?

The Penang state government’s move of defending the development only shows that it is defending the developers’ interests. Does DAP view the developers’ interests more important than human lives? Is a DAP-led Penang state government a rakyat government or a developer government?

Following the occurrence of the Tanjung Bungah landslide, more policies that are heavily skewed towards the interests of developers were exposed, including:

1)       The Penang state government did not apply for the Development Planning Guidelines on hillside areas and highlands but preferred using its own Safety Guideline for Hillsite Development 2012. The reason given is that the geographical conditions of Penang was different from other states, which is unacceptable.

2)       The Penang Structure Plan 2020 has enlisted Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang as its second development corridor, which prohibits development density of not more than 15 units per acre. But the construction site plan covered up to 900 units, which is outrageous.

Senator Dato’ Chai Kim Sen
MCA Publicity Bureau Chairman
MCA Deputy National Organising Secretary

-MCA Online-