SOME 200 fishermen from Perak and Penang, along with environmental campaigners, are rallying outside Parliament to protest against the controversial Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.

The protesters, dressed in white, gathered as early as 8am at the National Monument before making their way to the Parliament building.

They carried banners and placards that read “Pemaju makan ikan, nelayan makan tulang” (Developers eat fish, fishermen eat bones), “Tolak tambak Pulau Pinang selatan (reject PSR), “Lautan adalah kehidupan” (The sea is life) and “Reformasi bukan reklamasi” (Reform is not reclamation), and sang the national anthem as they marched.

“If Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad does not believe that the Forest City project (in Johor) is beneficial to locals, the same can be said for this (PSR) project,” said Nazri Ahmad, head of the Penang Fishermen’s Association.

He said the construction of three artificial islands under PSR will negatively impact on their livelihood.

“The three islands won’t benefit us. We are loyal to the government, so do not make us turn rebellious.

“The government respects the tigers in the forest, but it doesn’t respect fishermen. We do not support the project as it will impact our livelihood.”

Perak Fishermen’s Association chairman Mansor Yusof said the group objects to the project as the sand dredged up for the islands’ construction will hurt the marine ecosystem.

“The sand dredging will threaten the livelihood of about 9,000 fishermen. If there is sea mining, it will definitely impact the marine ecosystem.

“Now, the price of black pomfret is about RM20 per kg. In the future, it will be RM30 per kg.

“We are protesting because we want the government to be considerate about our future.”

Mansor said dredging activities in Perak waters to supply sand for the artificial islands would cause coastal erosion.

The group also accused the Department of Environment of producing an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report in an “autocratic way” by ignoring its views.

Findings which claimed that there were fishermen who “accepted” the project were based on the views of retired and part-time fishermen, the group said.

This didn’t represent the 10,000 full-time fishermen, it added.

The group handed the memorandum to Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and Balik Pulau MP Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik.

Only 13 protesters were allowed to enter the Parliament building to hand over the memorandum to Nurul and Bakhtiar, the deputy tourism, arts and culture minister.

The group also passed copies of the memorandum to Dr Mahathir, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and several ministers, including Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad; Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Yeo Bee Yin; Minister of Water, Land, and Natural Resources Xavier Jayakumar; Minister of Housing and Local Government Zuraida Kamaruddin; Transport Minister Anthony Loke; Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali; Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Salahuddin Ayub; and Rural and Regional Development Minister Rina Harun.

The memorandum, among other things, appealed to the federal government intervene and halt the project.

They dispersed around 10.30am. – July 11, 2019.