Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon defended the need for 'independent consultants' to advise the government o­n big projects such as the controversial Penang Outer Ring Road.

Koh said the decision to refer to expert opinions was "not something very new" as the government had always asked for impartial opinions, if necessary, to assist in the implementation of any project.

"This is our responsibility, we have a responsibility to the people and the environment, for the people," Koh said in a press conference in Penang today.

"Whatever was revealed in the report recently is not something very new. Just that I have emphasised in certain internal meetings, the need to be doubly careful," he said in the statement faxed to malaysiakini .

Koh was responding to a report in the New Straits Times o­n Monday which said that the state may hire a panel of impartial experts to "lend more credibility" to the implementation of the much-opposed road.

Doubly careful

According to the front page report in the daily's northern edition, professionals such as engineers, soil experts, economists and environmental specialists will comprise the panel and will not have any business interest in the RM1.02 billion project, touted as the "most expensive highway in the country".

In the report, NST quoted sources saying that the panel would provide the government independent advice o­n the social, environmental and economic impact of the project.

Koh said in the case of Porr, the government wanted to be "doubly careful and sure" of the project, that it may, if necessary, engage independent experts in order to closely monitor implementation.

"This is the responsibility of the government. The alignment and design must of course be finalised before a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment can be conducted.

"The detailed EIA will then recommend mitigation measures wherever and whenever necessary. So we have to study it carefully and also during the process of implementation."

The proposed 17km road is vehemently opposed by the public despite state efforts to promote it.

Koh had initiated several closed door meetings to justify the project to residents since October last year, but all were hurled with more questions regarding social and environmental problems and compensation for affected property owners.

Four measures

In an immediate response, DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang shot down the "independent panel" proposal, saying the state was "putting the cart before the horse".

Lim said Koh not o­nly failed to convince anyone o­n the Porr project, but also highlighted his "greatest failure in his decade-long tenure as Penang chief minister in failing to introduce an integrated, affordable, user-friendly and efficient public transport system for Penang".

Having conceded that the Porr briefings were a "flop", Koh should adopt four measures if he wanted to "lend more credibility" to the implementation of the project, added the opposition leader.

The measures proposed by Lim are:

Suspend the project to allow for a comprehensive public consultation process;

Release the detailed Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) of Porr;

Release the Halcrow Penang Urban Transport Study commissioned by Penang in 1997 which said the highway may have a utility lifespan of less than five years; and

Remove Porr's concessionaire Peninsular Metroworks Sdn Bhd executive chairperson Ahmad Ismail from the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP).

Ahmad is also the Umno Bukit Bendera division head. He has been appointed as MPPP building and planning committee alternate chairperson and is a member of the committees of licensing, property, as well as infrastructure and traffic management.

Ahmad had claimed there was no conflict of interest as he would leave the meeting when it touched o­n Porr.

But Lim said if Koh cannot remove or get Ahmad to resign from MPPP, it was "another confirmation as to who wields the de facto political power in Penang".

EIA first

Meanwhile anti-Porr committee spokesperson Linda Lim said an EIA must be done first before the panel of experts is set up.

"The state government can then set up a panel of Independent experts ... the appointment of the experts should be made transparent and with no secrecy.

"The appointment of this panel should not be a mere public relation exercise. The public should also be given the right to object to any appointment if any links or business interests are found," Lim said today.

She added that the panel of experts should also review the project from the perspective of providing efficient and affordable transportation.