CENTRE to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) executive director Cynthia Gabriel wants Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to review the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) project and not make a hasty decision on the multi-billion ringgit integrated transport project.

“We urge the current chief minister to take time to make the right and sustainable decision and not to be obliged by his predecessor’s decisions. There is still time to review the project, there is still time to engage different groups of stakeholders, including the fishermen,” she said.

The activist told reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by the Penang Forum that the state government seems to be lacking in the spirit of openness on the project, given the scale and the complexity of PTMP.

“Transparency must be the key driver of the Pakatan Harapan government if they want to be different from the previous one.

“Right now it is still a black hole. There is a lot of greyness and I think that really adds to the anxiety of the fishermen and some of the groups that work to support sustainable environment and people’s right. In the end, if there is corruption involved, it becomes devastating. 

“We are not accusing the government of anything like that yet, but we are saying to protect themselves and lessen the criticism, it is much better for the Penang government to be open and transparent about the whole exercise,” she said.

Cynthia pointed out that it was questionable that the state government had decided to call for request for proposals instead of open tenders.

“If we find something suspicious, of course we would (lodge a report), but at the moment we are still researching the companies,” she said when asked if she would lodge a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on the project.

Meanwhile, Khoo Salma Nasution, who is a steering committee member of the Penang Forum, called for the project to be scrapped due to the lack of transparency and the environmental damages it would bring to one of the aquaculture-rich regions in the state and in the north of Perak.

She called for a cost-benefit analysis by an independent body to be carried out to justify the RM46 billion price tag.

The heritage activist asked the rationale of having a RM46 billion transport to serve a state with a population of 1.76 million and a land size of 1,048 sq km.

She said the environmental damage will result in the entire nation falling into a food security crisis.

About 5,000 fishermen in the state is expected to be affected.

Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia president Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil, who was also present at the event, said the current government shows lack of concern over the environment and has been fixated over the economic growth.

Using the reduced supply of ikan kembung as an analogy, Shariffa said if environmental damages continue at this pace, seafood would no longer be available and will only be exclusively available to the rich.

Meanwhile, the Penang Fishermen Association president Nazri Ahmad said fishermen have seen their catch decline by 80% since the Seri Tanjung Pinang project and will only worsen once the PTMP and the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) projects start.

He added that about 90% of the fish supply in the state comes from local fishermen.

Despite protests, PSR has been given the green light by the Environment Department with more than 20 conditions, which civil society groups have demanded the Penang government to reveal to the public. – September 27, 2019.