Penang needs the jobs created by reclamation project

Published by Free Malaysia Today • 06/06/2021 • 12:41 pm

By Anak Pinang

We at Anak Pinang are concerned over the statements made by Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Tanjung Bungah Residents Association, Penang Forum, Consumers’ Association of Penang, Agora Society Malaysia and Pen Mutiara that are putting the livelihood of Penangites at risk.

Their demand for the cancellation of the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project is regrettable since that would in effect lead to the dismissal of existing jobs, affecting businesses, and eliminating thousands of potential employment opportunities for the people in Penang.

As previously reported, the construction work of the PSR will generate 5,000 jobs in the immediate three-year period. This will provide significant monetary inflow into Penang’s economy.

PSR sustains employment in Penang

Anak Pinang welcomes this timely stimulus provided by the PSR, especially when many Penangites are either retrenched, taking pay cuts, or required to take unpaid leave during the present Covid-19 crisis.

Since the beginning of last year, we have seen the closure of the Equatorial Hotel, the ‘hibernation’ of the Entopia Butterfly Farm, and the offering of a voluntary separation scheme in many Penang companies.

When many Penangites are struggling to make a living, these NGOs are adding salt to the wound by asking for the end of PSR, which will lead to more jobs being terminated.

These anti-development NGOs and activists have a track record of lobbying for the cancellation of projects, such as the redevelopment of Penang International Sports Arena (PISA) into the SPICE Convention Centre and the building of the ESCAPE Theme Park.

Right now, they are opposing the PSR and threatening the livelihood of all the employees working on the project.

Among the staff members are young local graduates who do not need to leave their family in Penang to work in other states, and local fishermen who can now have a stable monthly income and enjoy the benefits of retirement funds – which they otherwise do not have – without risking their life to work in the sea.

The cancellation of the PSR would mean the termination of such employment, which will be very unfortunate during the current pandemic crisis. The action of these NGOs is callous and cruel.

If they care for the well-being of the people working on the PSR project, these anti-PSR groups should stop lobbying for its termination which would further eliminate jobs in Penang and remove the benefits for the fishermen.

‘Phantom NGOs’

Among these six anti-PSR groups mentioned above, there are those formed by the same individuals. For instance, Meenakshi Raman is the president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia, the chairperson of Tanjung Bungah Residents Association, member of Penang Forum, and legal adviser to Consumers’ Association of Penang.

This is one person lobbying under four different groups, giving the public a false impression of widespread support.

This is just one of many tactics taken by these individuals to mislead the public. Whether or not this is ethical, we leave it to the public to decide.

If the same people vote under different names, we would brand them ‘phantom voters’. Then, isn’t the action of one individual duplicating his/her action under different groups creating ‘phantom NGOs’?

Furthermore, these anti-development groups always exaggerate the negative impact of PSR to mislead the public. For instance, they repeatedly claim that the implementation of PSR will threaten Penang’s food security — even though less than 20% of fishing boats work in the PSR area.

Moreover, the fishery industry in Penang’s south contributes only 4% to the state’s seafood output, while Penang contributes only 3% to the country’s total.

Penang south’s fishery accounts for less than 0.1% of the nation’s entire output. Penang south is not ‘the golden zone’ for fishery, as falsely claimed by Penang Forum spokesperson Khoo Salma.

Therefore, we implore these anti-development NGOs to stop misleading the public with exaggerated claims to lobby for project cancellation that will lead to jobs elimination.

Development on mainland

These groups’ alternative solution for PSR is to shift industrial development to Seberang Perai, claiming there is more land available there.

This is factually wrong and can only be claimed by those who are ignorant of mainland geography.

Currently, nine out of the 10 industrial parks and zones in Penang are located on the mainland.

The nine are at Mak Mandin, Perai, Seberang Jaya, Bukit Tengah, Bukit Minyak, Penang Science Park, Penang Science Park North, Batu Kawan Industrial Park 1 and Batu Kawan Industrial Park 2.

The one on the island is the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone. The total industrial area on the mainland is several times larger than on the island.

The fact is that there is not much land for industrial development in Seberang Perai. Most flatland have been developed or used for agriculture.

As reported previously, the 1,173ha of industrial land allocated in Batu Kawan was left only with 80ha in 2019.

The state government’s effort to acquire more private land for industrial usage has led to a legal entanglement with the land owners, with the latest case involving Sime Darby. Such matters may take years to settle while nothing can be done for development.

Those NGOs may believe they are offering an alternative solution to PSR when in reality they are unrealistic and uninformed of the facts.

Figure 1: Seberang Perai’s industrial area is several times larger than that on the island. (source: Rancangan Strukture Negeri Pulau Pinang 2030)

The NGOs’ environmental excuse to cancel PSR and shift development to the mainland is inconsistent as there will also be environmental impact on Seberang Perai.

Given its larger area size, the mainland’s industrial impact on the environment is already more extensive than the island.

Increasing industrialisation at Seberang Perai will only make it more extensive compared to the island.

So the NGOs’ excuse for shifting industrial development to the mainland to avoid environmental impact is delusional.

PSR’s environmental impact can be mitigated and the natural surroundings can be rejuvenated through offset programmes which will lead to the creation of a balanced and more resilient ecosystem for humans and nature.

Real environmental work should be based on facts, not on delusions, as displayed by the six groups.

Anak Pinang is an NGO and this letter is signed by its members, Timothy Tye, Zulfadzli Halim, Ling Chee Seng, Rodney Fong, Hellena Ayu, Magima Raj Pragasam, Joshua Woo, Mohd Nasarudin Sultan and Nicole Tan Bee Cha.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.