THE rampant development taking place in Penang is seeing the rise of a new breed of “opposition” in the DAP-led state.

With opposition parties such as Umno, MCA and Gerakan missing from action, civil society activists have taken charge, objecting to the state government’s ambitious projects that they say will only bring disaster to Penang island.

This has left the state government shocked, and struggling with how to handle these green warriors.

“DAP politicians are good at fighting corruption issues. All this while they have been fighting Barisan Nasional.

“But now, when they are faced with environmental and climate issues, they are stumbling,” said a senior journalist based in Penang.

As a result, he said, the state government led by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has opted to stay silent on issues raised by the activists.

DAP – in its third term in power in Penang – risks losing popular support if it fails to address the issues raised by these activists, he warned.

The state civil society movement, led by Penang Forum, has been at the forefront of objecting to the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), saying the state’s decision to build more roads and continue hill-slope developments will only lead to environmental degradation, which, in turn, will result in more landslides and floods.

Activist Anil Netto said following BN’s drubbing in the 14th general election, Penang civil society activists and concerned individuals, including young people, have stepped up to fill the vacuum.

“They started by highlighting issues close to their hearts, especially overdevelopment and hillside development.

“Part of this is motivated by concerns about floods and landslides caused by overdevelopment, the lack of sensible planning, the mega projects under the RM46 billion transport proposal for Penang, and massive land reclamation,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He said the post-GE14 activism could be seen as the blossoming of a green movement.

“In a sense, this environmental concern has been there for a long time, for example, during the Save Penang Hill campaign around 1990, and Stop the Penang Outer Ring Road in the early 2000s.

“At that time, opposition parties in the state were around to pick up on these issues, so ordinary people had some back-up.

“Now, the political opposition in the state has been wiped out, and ordinary people have no choice but to speak up for themselves – and they are doing that.”

Anil said he expects the green movement to grow and become more vocal.

“As environmental issues grow in importance, in the face of overdevelopment, I expect this green movement to grow, too, and become even more vocal, to fill the vacuum left behind.”

Veteran journalist Gobind Rudra said young people should be more aware of what makes Penang unique, and they should more actively protect the state.

Many young voters have fallen for the personality cults of some political leaders and blindly follow their heroes, he said.

“As an urban generation, they are deeply into consumer culture, and the so-called ‘sophisticated’ urban lifestyles of the Klang Valley and Singapore.

“They forget that Penang island is small, and they overlook the lasting damage they will inherit,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

For Malaysian Nature Society vice-president Eric R. Sinnaya, the state government is making a major mistake by ignoring environmental issues in favour of mega developments on the island.

“Climate change is a major issue, but that has not been factored in at all. Not just in Penang, but the whole country,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“If there is no sustainability, we can’t achieve sustainable living.

“In Penang, you can’t simply abuse it, more so when it’s an island. I fear we have crossed the line.”

He warned that many disasters are just waiting to happen if rampant development continues.

He said the state government must listen to civil society and understand the need to minimise damage.

Penang Forum’s latest campaign is for the state government to carry out a public investigation into the fatal Bukit Kukus landslide, and it wants to be part of that investigation.

On October 19, a landslide at the site of a road construction project owned by the Penang Island City Council killed nine foreign workers.

Chow has admitted that the tragedy raised further safety concerns about hillside development, but insisted that PTMP “must go on” if the people hope to improve productivity and quality of life.

Calling the growing pushback against PTMP a “temporary setback”, he has said the government will intensify efforts to assure the public that all safety measures and considerations have been thoroughly assessed. – October 28, 2018.