A Penang Umno assemblyman has defended the previous state government’s approval of land for reclamation, saying those projects ‘benefited the people’.

But Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has again conveniently ‘faulted’ the previous BN state government for the high number of land reclamation projects, said Pulau Betong assemblyperson Muhammad Farid Saad.

“It seems he cannot live without pushing the blame to the previous administration although he has been in power for more than seven years!” Farid said in a statement today.

He was referring to Lim’s claim that the previous BN government had approved 3,241 acres of land for reclamation.

Farid said all reclamation projects approved by the BN administration were planned with far-sightedness to cater for the social and economic needs of the state and the people.

He then provided a list of ‘beneficial’ reclamation project like the 274.9 acres of land reclaimed by IJM Bhd in exchange for a toll-free 4.7km six carriageway - the Yun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway with five interchanges.

He said IJM was to build 5,500 low- and low medium-cost houses to be sold at RM42,000 and RM72,000 each, and allocate sites for schools, worshipping places, hawker centre, public promenade and other government facilities.

Farid said during BN’s time, the Penang Development Corporation had reclaimed 1,120 acres of land spanning the first Penang bridge to Batu Maung to cater for infrastructure development of the 9.7km Bayan Lepas Expressway.

This expressway is now connected to the Second Penang Bridge and industrial land for economic development and jobs creation.

“Most of the internationally well-known multi-national companies (MNCs) are located on this reclamation land,” he said.

'Purposely omitted'

Farid also said Lim had ‘conveniently’ sold a parcel of reclaimed land totalling 103 acres to Ivory Bhd for RM1.02 billion, which the latter then went on to have a joint venture with Tropicana Bhd to develop the land with a gross development value of RM10 billion, which is now known as Penang World City.

“The chief minister has conveniently or purposely chosen to omit this fact when he pushed the blame to the previous administration,” he said.

Farid ( photo ) also pointed out that E&O Bhd was given the right to reclaim 980 acres of land as part of a rescue project of an abandoned reclamation project awarded in the 80s.

He said the approval required E&O to build low-medium cost houses totalling 1,989 to be sold at RM72,000 each.

A total of 113 acres of the reclaimed land must be surrendered to the state government for infrastructure projects.

“The chief minister has again conveniently omitted this fact.

“In fact, the CM had used 60 acres of this reclaimed land as partial-payment to Zenith-BUCG as part of the 110 acres of land for a toll-charged undersea tunnel project,” Farid claimed.

He added that Rayston Group Bhd, which undertakes the construction of the Butterworth Outer Ring Road, was given the right to reclaim 1,581 acres of land, of which 593 acres are to be used for the expansion of the North Butterworth Container Terminal.

Some 296 acres of the land are for a buffer zone to cater for future needs of port-related activities,while 197 acres are for open spaces and infrastructure projects which must be surrendered to the state and local government, he said.

The remaining 494 acres are to be developed by the concessionaire, Farid added.

“However, the company has yet to exercise its rights. We don’t understand why the chief minister has not vigrously pursued this project because expansion of the our port will certainly benefit the state and people tremendously,” he said.

Meanwhile, asked about Farid’s claim about Bayan Bay, Lim said due process will be followed as required by the Town and Country Planning Act.

He reiterated that only 35 out of the 103 acres for Penang World City (in Bayan Bay) are reclaimed land, and was originally meant for residential development and not industrial land as claimed by Farid.

“Again they are attacking us based on slander and lies,” Lim said.

On other allegations made by Farid, he said he would have to study Farid’s statement before commenting about it.