THE state government has reminded Natural Resources and Environment Minister Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar that the island of Penang is very far from Indonesia.

Local government and traffic management exco Chow Kon Yeow said given so, there was no risk of the proposed Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project encroaching on international waters.

“It is far from the border if you look at the map by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

“There is no possibility of the PSR leading to a shifting of the continental shelf and encroachment on international waters.

“In comparison, reclamation projects in Johor and Malacca are much closer to the nation’s maritime borders,” he told a press conference in Penang today.

Wan Junaidi, on Wednesday, said the project, which involves the reclamation of the sea to build three man-made islands off the southern coast of Penang island, would encroach on international waters.

The proposed reclamation aims to provide land to the opposition-controlled state government, to be auctioned off in the future to fund the state’s ambitious Penang Transport Master Plan.

What about Johor’s reclamation?

Chow said it was “perplexing” that Wan Junaidi was agreeable to reclamation projects in Johor and Malacca, especially since the one in Johor was on the fringes of Malaysia’s border with Singapore.

He said the one in Malacca, on the other hand, was close to Indonesia’s border.

“We are puzzled that he (Wan Junaidi) is not agreeable to reclamation projects that create new coastlines, like the PSR, because all reclamation projects create new coastlines, even those in Johor and Malacca.

“As Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy has said, the minister is just out to gain political mileage with his statements against the project.

“With the Penang project being so far from Indonesia, he has all the more reason to support it.”

This morning, Ramasamy, in a statement, said Wan Junaidi’s rejection of the PSR was “nothing but political” unless the minister had evidence to back his statements.

“There might have been protests by fishermen, but can he deny that there had been no political action by some in Umno to mobilise them for political purposes?”

He said the ministry should provide more details as evidence that the three man-made islands would encroach on international waters.

He said while Wan Junaidi opposed the Penang proposal, the minister had not explained the scale and nature of reclamation projects in the Barisan Nasional-controlled states of Kedah and Johor.

“This is not to mention the massive reclamation in Johor that was given the green light by his ministry, even though it created uneasiness with Singapore.

“I don’t understand why Wan Junaidi had to say he personally disapproves of the PSR even before his ministry completes the environmental impact assessment (EIA).

“Did he not realise that such a statement is akin to putting the cart before the horse? It is something that might influence the EIA, which is now being carried out by the relevant departments.”

Ramasamy said if Putrajaya was willing to fund Penang’s much-needed transport infrastructure, the reclamation would be unnecessary in the first place.

Reports submitted

Chow said Penang had been submitting reports on the PSR to the relevant federal agencies since early this year, contrary to Wan Junaidi’s remarks that he had not received the EIA report.

The exco said the state government had submitted more reports on the PSR to federal agencies than any other party had sent for their projects.

The EIA findings were sent to the Department of Environment (DoE) in April, and a revised version was submitted in August after a meeting with the department in June.

“The EIA is now pending approval. We are also preparing a report for the third submission,” said Chow.

The state also submitted hydraulic, as well as fisheries, social, marine and traffic impact, assessment reports between January and September.

Chow said after holding meetings with the relevant departments, the PSR consultants would study the comments given and incorporate them when revising the reports before resubmission.

“The state is also in the midst of preparing detailed reports in accordance with the advice from the National Physical Planning Council’s Working and Regulating Committees.”

Chow reiterated that no work would start without the necessary government approvals, questioning how detractors could claim the PSR was illegal.

“The minister is also very wrong if he thinks we have started work on the project.”

Bleak future for fishermen

On Wan Junaidi’s remarks about how the PSR would hurt the fisheries sector and livelihoods of fishermen, Chow said the social impact assessment (SIA) study done and submitted in August found the future of in-shore fishermen on the southern coast of Penang island to be bleak anyway.

He said feedback from the study showed that a majority of locals in the area belonged to the B40, or bottom 40% of households, income group, including the fishermen.

“The fishing community is the lowest-income group among the locals. They earn an average of RM1,578 a month from fishing, lower than the average household income of RM2,710.

“The study showed that fishermen have been complaining about dwindling catch for years, even before the PSR proposal.

“Only about 20% of their children wish to continue working as fishermen. The study paints a bleak picture of the future if in-shore fishermen on the southern coast.”

Chow said the Penang government never considered fishermen as a minority group, and it regarded them as important stakeholders in the PSR.

He said the project would give the community and their children a better future with new jobs and business opportunities created during and after the construction of the islands.

“It is unlikely that the fishermen will end up as beggars with the implementation of the project. If nothing is done, their lives will be even harder in the coming years, due to rising living costs in Penang.”

Study Penang’s reports

Chow said the state government had planned measures to ensure that locals, including fishermen, benefited from the proposed reclamation.

These would be included in the SIA and fisheries impact assessment reports, which are subject to PLANMalaysia and the Fisheries Department’s approval.

Chow said the state government welcomed Wan Junaidi’s remark that he would be fair in dealing with the PSR at the federal level before making a decision.

“But based on media reports on the statements he made against the project, he doesn’t appear to be fair at all.

“He might not have received full information on the PSR’s latest developments. The state government strongly urges the minister to peruse the submissions to the DoE for a better understanding of the project.”

He said Penang would prepare a report to clarify the issues raised by Wan Junaidi, and send it to his ministry within a week.

He also advised the minister not to come to Penang and make “stupid statements” without first checking the project’s details.

“So many times has he visited Penang, but he did not call on his good friends the chief minister (Lim Guan Eng) and (state public works and transport exco) Lim Hock Seng,” he said, referring to the current and former Bagan MPs from DAP whom Wan Junaidi has known for years.

“So much work has been done, and yet, he (Wan Junaidi) claims nothing was done.” – December 29, 2017.