A group calling themselves ‘Hapus’ (Abolish) held a small protest along the Penang bridge yesterday to call for the end of toll payment for motorists.

The group of 20 waved banners and chanted, “ Hapus, hapus, hapuskan tol ” (abolish, abolish, abolish the toll), while several policemen stood watch but did not intervene.

NONE Hapus spokesperson Zainulfaqar Yaacob ( left in photo ) said Kelantanese had been deprived of their right to oil royalty, while Penangites have been denied the right to use the Penang bridge for free.

“They said, if we abolish the toll, how can we maintain the bridge? Then how about the Sultan Ismail Petra bridge in Kota Baru and the Kuala Terengganu one which can be used for free?” he asked.

“We are already paying taxes to the (federal) government. They should use that for the maintenance of the bridge instead of charging us toll money,” he added.

Appeal for Penangites’ support

Zainulfaqar was accompanied by Hapus deputy chief Dzul Fahmi Abu Bakar, Komtar assemblyperson Ng Wei Aik and state PKR Youth committee member Syed Mikael Rizal Aidid.

NONE Jerai MP and Anti-Saman Ekor campaigner Mohd Firdaus Jaafar ( centre in photo ) was also spotted at the rally, which took place between 2.30-3pm.

Zainulfaqar said the situation is similar to the Sungai Nyior highway toll , which is under federal jurisdiction, where the state government cannot intervene to stop the payment.

He added that the campaign to abolish the toll will focus on getting support from Penangites to make the call stronger and more urgent.

“We will make an appointment with the relevant authorities after this protest to express our demands,” he said, adding that Hapus is supported by several NGOs and political parties.

The Sungai Nyior toll plaza is located at the interchange point of the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (Borr) and Butterworth-Kulim Expressway (BKE), connecting the road with the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) in Bagan Jermal since 1997.

NONE Penang Umno had also criticised the toll collection, with former Penanti assemblyperson and Permatang Pauh Umno chairperson Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid describing it as “unjustified and unfair” to workers and residents using the stretch.

Meanwhile, Ng ( left ) said the rally was a “people’s campaign” as the BN government seldom listened to the people and it was quite useless just to submit memorandums to the authorities.

“This campaign will proceed until the next general election. Pakatan Rakyat had already promised to abolish the Penang Bridge and North-South Expressway toll concession once it takes over Putrajaya,” added the state DAP secretary and state DAP Socialist Youth chief.

Ng slammed for ‘running away’

After the group spoke to reporters at the spot, another group claiming to be representatives of Persatuan Mukabuku Pulau Pinang (PMPP) appeared and said they supported the Hapus agenda.

“However, we want the state government to fulfil five pledges before talking about a new issue,” said PMPP spokesperson Salleh Ismail.

NONE The group of four then started shouting at Hapus, urging Ng to respond to the “pledges”.

But the Hapus members ignored them and Salleh chided Ng for “running away”.

Hapus representatives then continued to display their anti-toll banners while Salleh and his friends followed suit.

The 'face-off' ended when it started to rain and the protesters dispersed, ending the event peacefully without any untoward confrontation.

PMPP has been in the forefront of accusing the state and Penang Island Municipal Council of discriminating against hawkers who ply their trade along the touristic Esplanade.

The MPPP, however, reasoned that the hawkers are “illegal” and that the area was no longer available for the group, who were asked to apply licences to trade at other permitted locations.