IN the article “Everyone gains” published in the New Straits Times on July 26, the writer touched on a point made by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 20th Asia Oil & Gas Conference on June 24, 2019 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Dr Mahathir had said: “We must therefore recognise the potential of our neighbours to forge strategic alliances on the back of a ‘prosper thy neighbour’ policy that promotes the concept of shared prosperity.”

The prime minister has been very consistent on this “prosper thy neighbour” vision. He had first spoken about this way back on September 20, 1997 at the annual seminar of the World Bank in Hong Kong. This speech has been popularly dubbed “Dr Mahathir’s famous speech”.

He told the seminar participants “in case you are wondering about what is meant by ‘prosper thy neighbour’, I would like to explain again that it simply means if you help your neighbour to prosper, you will prosper along with it”.

Penang’s grandiose 4,500-acre (1,821ha) sea reclamation project is a total opposite of this vision, being a “begger thy neighbour” project.

It will destroy the huge, rich fishing grounds at the south of Penang island, directly affect the livelihood of about 5,000 fishermen and their families who depend on it for their rice bowls, affect millions of consumers who depend on fish for their daily protein intake, seriously impact the ecology of the sea, and cause repercussions (like erosion) to other parts of the island and even across the channel.

The negative effects will spill over to other areas as well. Most affected will be the areas where sand will be removed to be dumped in the reclamation area. Again, this will impact the people’s livelihood and ecology of areas outside the boundaries of Penang, ie Penang’s neighbours.      

Those in the state pushing for the reclamation have made themselves blind and deaf not only to the federal government’s own authority on fishing, namely the Agriculture Ministry, but also to the reality of climate change and the dire consequences that Earth faces if humans don’t stop their nature-ecology-destructive activities.   

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub had recently given facts and figures in Parliament that are a damning indictment of the reclamation project. Does the Penang state government care?

Down south, Singapore’s Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli, just about 10 days ago, acknowledged that “time is running out” and tackling climate change was a priority for Singapore.  

Climate change is not a fairy tale, but a scientifically proven phenomenon that is taking place at an accelerated pace and affects every corner of this planet. In Penang, who cares?  

There seems to be something unholy in the way the Penang government is simply brushing aside all these factors that will have a profound negative effect on Penang island in the long run. They are being very irresponsible, to say the least.

The prime minister who has consistently spoken about “prosper thy neighbour” and whose decision on this 4,000-acre reclamation project Penangites are awaiting, is now given a chance to put his vision into practice.

He should call off the Penang South Reclamation project as it is destructive in so many ways. He should tell Penang that if they still want to take the state to hell, then they must not pull other neighbouring states into hell with them.

Penang is not going to go bankrupt if the project is cancelled, but ironically, it might if allowed to go on. – July 28, 2019.

* Ravinder Singh reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.