Overdevelopment of Penang, at the expense of the rakyat

Since the approval of the controversial Penang South Islands (PSI) project, the project has been met with much objection by both local fishermen and NGOs concerned about the permanent environmental damage. In what seems like a respite in a long running David vs Goliath battle, David aka the humble fishermen have gained an advantage after a three-member environmental on appeals board on 8 Sept 2021 reversed an earlier approval granted by the Department of Environment (DoE) in July 2019 for the PSI land-reclamation project.

The DAP-led Penang State Government should not have literally poured sand into the rice bowls of the fishermen. Instead, it should have propelled the fishermen to expand their livelihoods like delving into modern fisheries methods, or offer higher incentives should the fishermen haul in a larger catch for the day.

The Penang state government could also have provided micro-credit loan schemes for the fishermen to diversify their sea-related income, for example, upgrading motorised boats with better safety features for tourists to imitate life of a fisherman, or river-harbour cruises on motorboats, tours to fishing villages, and with a stroke of luck, glimpse dolphins even, etc. These would have encouraged youngsters to continue drawing their livelihoods from the sea whilst keeping the long tradition of fishing and, retaining and upkeeping the unique fishing villages amidst its location with urban Georgetown.

Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, tourists are attracted and hope to return to the charms of Penang’s turquoise-green seas and hills converging with heritage. However, the three artificial islands from the PSI wreck irretrievable environmental carnage. The land reclamation could cause mudflows and siltation to neighbouring Perak. So colossal is the project that environmentalists have warned that it “translates into undersea habitat destruction, hindrance of fish migration, impacts on food web structure, and oxygen depletion, (Al-Jazeera, 6 Sept 2021).”

Did the DAP-helmed Penang State Government even consider about food security of Penangites when it opted to annihilate the fish, crustaceans and squids netted in?

As the environment appeals  board had found that the approval given by the DoE director-general was ultra vires, null and void of Section 34A (4) (a) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, how and why could the approval under the then Pakatan Harapan federal  government be even issued even though it was illegal?

It is hoped that this environmental disastrous project will not be just postponed, but scrapped indefinitely.

Datuk Tan Teik Cheng
MCA Penang State Liaison Committee
MCA Vice President

-MCA Online-