PENANG and developers of the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project must come up with a plan to compensate displaced local residents fairly, said Anwar Ibrahim.

“A project that costs RM16 billion should not use old methods to compensate local residents. I disagree with that. There should be a plan to help them develop,” Anwar told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

“The amount of profits coming from a project valued at RM16 billion runs into hundreds of millions and they should ensure some equitable compensation is given to the local residents.

“Many of those affected include traditional Malay villages that will slowly disappear or be pushed deeper into the island,” said the PKR president.

The Port Dickson MP told reporters that the PKR lawmakers from Penang aren’t against the project and just want better compensation for the fishermen.

“I have discussed the land reclamation project in Penang with MPs like Mansor Othman (Nibong Tebal), Nurul Izzah (Permatang Pauh), Sim Tze Tzin (Bayan Baru) and Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (Balik Pulau).

“We feel that the development must continue,” said Anwar.

The state government plans to reclaim 1,821ha from the sea and create three man-made islands stretching from the south of the Penang International Airport to the east of Permatang Damar Laut.

The PSR Project was proposed to create a land bank to finance the Penang Transport Master Plan project. It is learnt that the time frame for the land reclamation project is 15 years and the overall project is expected to be ready between 30 and 50 years. – July 15, 2019.