Most Read
Most Commented
mk-logo
From Our Readers
Penang is not the only state reclaiming land

LETTER | Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar is trying to put the cart before the horse.

Even before an environmental impact assessment can be completed, he has come out with politically vindictive remark, saying he personally disapproves of Penang’s southern land reclamation project as significant component of Penang’s Transport Master Plan.

Why did Wan Junaidi wait so long to come out with his biased remarks about Penang’s reclamation project, just a few months ahead of the next general election? I am sure that is an election gimmick to retain the parliamentary seat of Balik Pulau and other state seats in the area.

To Wan Junaidi, the reclamation of three islands in southern Penang cannot be approved because it would affect the lives of hundreds of fishermen in the area. Beyond this, there is a real possibility that reclamation would extend the seabed into international waters.

He said even if the Penang state government proceeds with the project from a constitutional point of view, he would not agree as there are legal and environmental prerequisites that need to be fulfilled.

While Wan Junaidi is gung-ho in his opposition to the project, he is, however, rather reticent on the massive sand mining in estuaries of Sungai Pahang and Sungai Kelantan.

In fact, he defended the sand mining for export to India on the grounds that it would be able to mitigate flood in the two states.

So much for man who is in charge of the environment in the country.

Wan Junaidi is not only mum about the implications of massive sand mining in the rivers, but to date he has not said about the massive reclamation projects in BN controlled states of Malacca, Johor and other states. He is yet to discuss the environmental impact of these projects.

Hundreds of the lives of fishermen have been affected in these states. In Johor, massive reclamation has intruded into the waters of Singapore.

What shame for an environment minister to take an embarrassing political perspective on the issue of reclamation in Penang. Some are just not prepared to see Penang succeed while other states have failed.

The Penang government is prepared for the toughest scrutiny from federal agencies on environmental matters, but not political comments from those who cannot see environmental disasters in other states, but magnify the problems that might be posed in Penang.

If Singapore can grow by 60 percent in the decades after independence with the toughest laws, I don’t why a small island like Penang cannot embark on reclamation for the success of a transport infrastructure.

If Penang had the funds, there would be no necessity for the reclamation in the first place.

The federal government has repeatedly failed to extend its assistance to develop transport infrastructure in Penang, but at the same time puts obstacles on the path of a Penang’s own initiative.


The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

ADS