Penang remains committed to ensure PSI contributes positively to long-term welfare of fishing community

Published by New Straits Time • 11/7/2023

Gerakan Ekonomi Malaysia had recently urged the government to stop the PSI reclamation project and formulate a comprehensive policy to guarantee a sustainable livelihood for fishermen. – NSTP file pic

GEORGE TOWN: It is crucial to acknowledge that development projects of the Penang South Island’s (PSI) magnitude will inevitably have impacts on the environment, the Penang Infrastructure Corporation (PIC) said.

According to PIC, as the Penang government’s special purpose vehicle to implement the PSI project, the state government fully recognises this, and that is precisely why the PSI ecology offset masterplan (PEOM) initiatives have been designed in collaboration with professionals and experts to mitigate these impacts.

Although physical works have yet to commence on site, PIC said the PEOM initiatives had been carefully implemented by phases, demonstrating the government’s commitment on its responsibility towards the fishing community and the environment. “The PSI project has expanded the mangrove ecosystem in the state by planting more than 1,600 mangrove trees, and increased fishery stock by releasing two million fish fries. Recently, PIC and the project delivery partner, SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd, have joined forces with the State Forestry Department to plant 200,000 trees at suitable locations around Penang by 2030.

“We are also collaborating with the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS) from Universiti Sains Malaysia to conduct research on artificial reefs and the release of fish and shrimp fries to bolster future fish stocks.

“It is essential to approach the PSI project with an informed perspective that considers its comprehensive benefits, including sustainable economic growth, improved socioeconomic status for fishermen, enhanced educational opportunities for their children, and well-designed environmental conservation efforts.

“We remain committed to engaging with all stakeholders, addressing concerns constructively, and ensuring that the PSI project contributes positively to the long-term welfare of the fishing community and the prosperity of Penang,” it said today, addressing concerns and allegations raised about the project by Gerakan Ekonomi Malaysia and Institut Masa Depan Malaysia.

Gerakan Ekonomi Malaysia had recently urged the government to stop the PSI reclamation project and formulate a comprehensive policy to guarantee a sustainable livelihood for fishermen.

Its president Armin Baniaz Pahamin said Penang’s development plan, especially the PSI, would critically impact the income and future of fishermen and affect local fish supply.

Armin said, unfortunately, the government had taken no action to provide an alternative source of income.

Elaborating, PIC said the PSI project was a sustainable initiative undertaken with the goal of benefiting various stakeholders, including fishermen and their families, local communities, the state and the country’s economy as a whole.

“The local community is benefiting from the PSI project even before the commencement of the reclamation work.

“The social impact management plan (SIMP) under PSI is empowering the fisher community by providing them with free well-equipped, larger, and safer boats with powerful engines, free professional seafarer training, free tuition and scholarship to the fishers’ children, new job opportunities with stable income and employment benefits, financial aid in the form of ex-gratia, new jetties and upgraded on-shore facilities, provide aquaculture opportunities and establishing a cooperative to protect fishers’ commercial welfare and create business opportunities for local community. “Furthermore, 200 days of satellite images have shown that local fishermen are more active fishing outside of the PSI area. This is independently corroborated with satellite images from Malaysia Space Agency,” she added.

PIC went on to say that the social impact assessment (SIA) conducted for the PSI found that 79 per cent of local Penang residents, including fishermen, supported the development.

About 74.8 per cent of the interviewed fishermen expressed agreement with the PSI project.

The Department of Environment received 93 per cent positive feedback about the PSI out of 3,464 recorded responses during the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) public display period from May 20, 2022 to June 18, 2022.

PIC also assured that the PSI project was designed as a climate adaptation strategy according to the guidelines and studies from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia, the Low Carbon Cities Framework, the Royal HaskoningDHV of Netherlands, and the Danish Hydraulic Institute.

The IPCC 2019 report stated that, “land reclamation is mature and effective technology and can provide predictable levels of safety.”

“The EIA study for the PSI project has undergone a thorough and detailed process. Approval has been obtained from all relevant authorities only after fulfilling the necessary compliance requirements.

“Stringent monitoring will also be done to ensure the project adheres to all environmental regulations and safeguards,” it stressed.

In May, the state government announced that it would do away with two of three islands in the controversial PSI project, which means a scaling down of 49 per cent of the total project.

Island A is now known as Silicon Island.