Penang to proceed with PTMP projects, will not wait for pandemic to end

GEORGE TOWN: The implementation of the multi-billion ringgit Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) projects, including the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project, are key recovery drivers in stimulating the state’s economy, impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As such, state Infrastructure and Transport Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said, the state would proceed with the projects despite calls from several quarters to suspend its implementation until the pandemic ends.

State Gerakan chairman Oh Tong Keong had recently urged the Penang government to suspend the implementation of the PTMP until the Covid-19 pandemic ends.

He had said that rather than continuing with major infrastructure projects, the state government should only focus on fighting Covid-19.

Zairil said such a statement revealed a shallow understanding of the nature of the pandemic, which is not merely a health crisis but also a socio-economic one.

“Would he (Oh) consider surviving the pandemic a success if we allow our society and our economy to collapse? The fact is that the provision of medical care, social aid and economic growth are all equally important.

“As a responsible state government, we have to ensure our economy survives as much as our citizens. Adverse economic repercussions such as unemployment, business closures and market capital deficiency have to be addressed.

“For this reason, the state government formed the Penang Socio-Economic Recovery Consultative Council (PSERCC) chaired by the Chief Minister. This Council, which is made up of representatives from both government and industry, oversees the efforts towards recovery across various sectors.

“And among the key recovery drivers identified by the PSERCC is the implementation of the PTMP projects, including the PSR project. Besides the creation of new jobs, these projects will also inject domestic direct investment into the local economy besides catalysing future growth and foreign investment,” he said today.

Zairil said Gerakan, which joined Perikatan Nasional, should perhaps take a leaf from its own colleague, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who recently stated that the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects was a priority measure to stimulate the economy.

“Instead of condemning the Penang government’s efforts to safeguard the social and economic well-being of Penangites during and after this pandemic, Oh should urge Putrajaya to reinstate all major infrastructure projects that they cancelled including the Penang Hill cable car and the loan guarantee for the development of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Penang,” he added.

The PTMP, announced in 2015, consists of a light rail transit (LRT) system, an undersea tunnel and highways, among others.

To fund the PTMP, the state plans to embark on a massive reclamation exercise to create three man-made islands, with a total land area of 1,800ha.