THE Penang government has lashed out at civil societies for their “arrogance” in demanding that the DAP-led administration step down following a landslide at a construction site which claimed the lives of 11 people.

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy said that while probes into the incident have not even revealed the cause of the tragedy, the groups have already concluded that the state government was responsible and should be removed. 

“They have the temerity and arrogance of warning the Penang government for dereliction of duty towards Penangites,” he said in a statement today.

“If Penang Forum, one of the groups in the state, wants to have serious dialogue with the Penang government on issues relating to hillside development, then such dialogue cannot be held at gunpoint.

“In other words, members of the Penang Forum cannot wish to hold a dialogue but yet want the removal of the Penang government.”

Civil society members in Penang warned the Pakatan Harapan government that it might lose support if it continued to allow development on hill land, following Saturday’s incident. 

Ramasamy said some members of Penang civil society are afflicted with “a strange political disease”.

“The role of NGOs is much appreciated in the long process of attaining balance and sustainability in development. 

“Even if the state officials find it difficult to accept their criticism, it is taken in good spirit. 

“Unfortunately, the symbiosis between some of the environmental groups and the state government might not last too long,” he said, referring to their move to oust the chief minister and state government for betraying the trust of the public. 

Ramasamy said if the groups are serious about wanting a regime change in Penang, they should consider entering politics. 

“They should come out of their comfort zone to form a political party or coalition to embark on a campaign to contest in the elections.

“Perhaps they should seriously think of forming a pact with Barisan Nasional to vote out the PH government. Since there are common grounds between these groups and the BN component parties, a coalition will give some form of formality,” the DAP leader said. 

Ramasamy acknowledged that the groups, which have been calling for a total embargo on development in hilly and sensitive areas in Penang, have long criticised the state for not being stringent enough to stop development project in hillside areas. 

He said they also thought the guidelines imposed by government agencies and monitoring mechanisms are not sufficient for hillside developments. 

The state government repeatedly said in the past few days that the landslide was a worksite accident. 

The administration is planning to set up a commission of inquiry to probe into the accident. 

Yesterday, local government exco Chow Kon Yeow said the Penang Island City Council has been ordered to lodge a police report to enable a probe into the incident to determine whether negligence was the cause of the landslide at the construction site. – October 24, 2017.