A businessman has filed a report with the Penang Anti-Corruption Agency against Pengkalan Kota State assemblyperson Lee Hack Teik ( photo ) for allegedly abusing his position and misleading the public on the Koay Jetty issue .

Koay Teng Guan, a Baiqi Koay resident, wants the ACA to probe the politician for allegedly withholding information from the residents.

He claimed that although the federal government had allegedly requested the state to preserve the jetty, Lee did not inform the residents about this.

He also accused the politician of instilling fear among the residents that they would not be compensated if they protested against the demolition.

"By hiding crucial information and issuing threats to residents, Lee had clearly abused his position as a state assemblyperson.

We want the ACA to investigate and charge Lee,"said Teng Guan, who is a descendant of Baiqi Koay, a group of Chinese Muslim immigrants who settled in the area centuries ago.

When contacted, an ACA officer said the report would be investigated.

Historical facts

Meanwhile, Teng Guan also alleged that state MCA leader Lee had misled local Baiqi Koay descendants by misrepresenting the historical facts of Koay Jetty in an article he wrote for Guan Ming Daily on June 22, 2004.

He claimed Lee had wrongly suggested that the present residents living along Koay Jetty were not descendants of the Baiqi Koay community who arrived here during the 14th century Yuan Dynasty.

"Lee has embarrassed local Koays and stirred racial disharmony among the people," he said.

Lee, however, was not available for comment.

Koay Jetty and Peng Aun Jetty are the only two among the eight early Chinese clan jetty settlements in George Town that will be demolished to pave way for a development project.

The other jetties of Lim, Chew, Tan, Lee, New and Yeoh clans have been earmarked within the heritage zone demarcated in George Town and hence will be preserved.

Both Koay and Peng Aun Jetties have about 50 houses and 350 residents.

Strong objections

Heritage lovers and historians have strongly objected the development project and urged the state government to preserve all the eight jetties.

How is it that the state government could preserve six but not Koay and Peng Aun?

This is question posed by the Preserve Koay Jetty Support Group, comprising the Penang Tourists Guides Association, Malaysian Travel Trade Association Penang Chapter, Penang Heritage Trust (PHT), Baiqi Koay Cultural Revitalisation Ad-Hoc Joint Committee, Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Penang Branch and Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (MCMA).

The state government plans to demolish the Koay Jetty and a nearby mangrove area to develop a new township of houses and commercial activities. It plans to turn the area into a transportation hub for the Weld Quay area in the city.

This is part of the state government's efforts to rejuvenate George Town, which has rapidly turned into a "ghost city" since the Control of Rent (Repeal) Act 1997 was enforced on Sept 1 that year.

Each affected house owner would be compensated with a free housing unit while tenants would be offered a unit each at a special price in the area.

Also protesting the development project are nature lovers who want the mangrove area to be preserved. It is home to 30 different species of birds, including northern migratory birds, a vast majority of which is protected under the Malaysian Wildlife Act.

Historians and heritage lovers also argue that Koay Jetty is the last remaining enclave of the Chinese Hui's descendants in the northern Peninsular.

ATHI VEERANGGAN is malaysiakini 's Penang-based stringer.