The government has given an assurance that the welfare of villagers in Pengerang where the RM60 billion Refinery and Petrochemicals Integrated Development (Rapid) project by Petronas is located, will be taken care of.

Pengerang Member of Parliament Azalina Othman Said said she was informed that the state government would ensure that Pengerang residents would not be neglected in the process.

“I was told that the state government has agreed to provide a new settlement area, which is better and more organised, for those who are affected by the project,” she told Bernama in a statement today.

Azalina stressed that villagers involved would only be relocated to the new settlement in phases and stages once their new housing area was ready.

“They will be given lots to build a house in the new settlement,” she said, adding that compensation will also be provided.

However, the value of the compensation to be given to land owners have yet to be determined as the issue is still being studied.

On the demonstration by about 200 people last Sunday in protest against the project, she said half of them were foreigners.

According to Azalina, the project not only presented economic activities to the locals, but would rival Singapore as one of the world’s biggest oil storage hubs.

She said Malaysia, with its rich resources in oil and gas, should make use of its advantage to emerge as one of the main oil and gas storage hubs in the world.

- Bernama