THE iconic Penang ferry service would have remained in operation if Pakatan Harapan were still in government, said Lim Guan Eng.

The former finance minister said he had approved a RM30 million grant for the ferry service during his tenure.

“If the federal government had not changed, the ferry service would have remained.

“When I was the finance minister, I had approved a RM30 million grant to ensure the services will continue.

“The present Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul (Tengku Abdul Aziz) has acknowledged this but Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong is very keen to shut down this service.

“We will continue fighting so that this iconic ferry service will be continued again… what we can do is to have a change of government in Putrajaya,” he said after taking a ferry ride today.

The 126-year-old ferry service is set to end tomorrow, to be replaced by catamarans which will only transport people.

New vessels to transport two-wheelers will also be introduced later.

Last week Wee said Putrajaya’s plan to replace the existing ferries was to optimise the safety, sustainability and security of the passenger ferry fleet to ensure that the service continues.

He said the modernisation phase will begin with the introduction of three (passenger only) catamaran water buses from January 1, 2021, to be followed by two vehicle transporters that will carry only two-wheeled motorised vehicles and bicycles in 2022.

The finance ministry has also allocated RM30 million, which will be released in two tranches in 2021 and 2022, for the modernisation of the fleet, he added.

Lim, however, said that the ferry service could be retained while simultaneously introducing other vessels to transport people.

“Pakatan will reconsider this. There is no justification to that ferries are expensive and not safe.

“We can have ferries as well as catamarans. For the poor, it is cheaper for them to use the ferries from Bagan to Tanjung. Tourists too prefer to take the ferries across,” said the Bagan MP.

This morning, Lim was accompanied by about 150 people, including several state exco members, in his round-trip ride on the ferry from the Raja Tun Uda terminal on the island to the Penang Sentral terminal. – December 31, 2020.