ince December 2015, the Penang government has engaged some 16,527 people from various sectors on state transport initiatives over the past 32 months, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

"We have conducted the largest-ever engagement sessions in Malaysia," Chow said during a press conference at Komtar in response to public concerns over the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) and Pan-Island Link 1 (PIL 1).

Spanning 19.5km, the highway, which is part of the RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), has been criticised for cutting across parks and hills but Chow had said earlier the impact on these are minimal.

Chow said some 5,811 government agencies representatives, elected representatives, professional and business associations, NGOs, media and the public have been engaged by state government officials over 46 sessions.

In that 32-month period, the transport project teams have engaged some 3,903 elected representatives, fisherfolk, residents, public businesses and beach users in 852 sessions, he added.

"During the EIA process, we have engaged some 6,813 people, including organising focus group discussions, obtaining public feedback, and conducting interviews and surveys in 965 sessions.

"These sessions include 38 sessions for the LRT, 22 for the PIL 1 highway and seven for the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project," he said.

"In addition to engagements with stakeholders, public displays of the RFP documents were held from Jan 16 to Feb 17 last year. The display period was extended to Feb 28 (last year) based on public request," he added.



"We were not required by any law to do it but we did. Those who claim we are not being transparent, may have missed it, we can't be doing it every day, but the Penang Forum has seen it."

When asked if the documents would be displayed again, Chow said he was willing to do so in September.

Chow said his administration had always responded and engaged with various sectors whenever his office received any letters expressing concern.

Other than these sessions, Chow reminded that the state government is organising a 'Sayangi Penangku Hunt' to raise awareness of the state's traffic initiatives.

Public forums and town hall session
He noted that a public forum dubbed 'PTMP for Penangites' to address all stakeholders’ concerns will be held on Sept 2, from 2.30pm to 5pm at the Dewan Sri Pinang.

"We have also been instructed Department of Environment to hold a town hall session on the PIL 1 highway. We have not received an official letter yet, but once we have, it will be held in September," Chow said.

Chow's press conference appears to precede a public forum on Saturday, where NGOs will explain in detail the concerns they have for the two mega-projects.

The RM46 billion PTMP and PIL 1 highway have been criticised by certain quarters as being "too excessive", "not having public consultation", "a threat to the environment", and a poor solution to the traffic woes on the island.

Chow maintained that the projects are still pending approval by the federal government.

Meanwhile, the state has engaged with 10 elected representatives over the various transport initiatives, said Chow.

He said the key concerns raised by the assemblypersons and MPs centred around traffic congestion, affected greenery, and the move by Penang Forum to "stir and create fear" on the ground.

These issues were raised during the session with Pulau Tikus assemblyperson Chris Lee Chun Kit on Jul 28 this year.

Chow added that his officers have also met 16 trustees and committees of the touristic Kek Lok Si Temple, which may be affected by the PIL 1 highway project.

"Their key concerns were suggestions that we look into the current proposed PIL 1 alignment where a tunnel is crossing less than 500 meters from Kek Lok Si temple. They are worried about potential social impact as the tunnelling of Crane Hill is believed to disrupt the energy force (feng shui)," Chow said.

Chow said he had also met with resident groups who opposed the PIL 1 projects because the project would cut across two parks in the island.



The Jesselton and Sungai Ara residents group met Chow on July 28 and July 30 respectively, while fisherfolk were engaged on July 23 and July 25 respectively.

"During the meeting between Unit Teluk Kumbar fisherfolk,  Bayan Lepas assemblyperson Azrul Mahathir and JKKK ( Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung) representatives, concerns were raised that the clearance of 121 fishing sheds along the shoreline from Sungai Batu to Kampung Bagan may jeopardise the fishermen’s support for the Penang South Reclamation projects.

"Here, a fishermen's task force has been organised to look into a benefit package for the fishing community," Chow added.

"With the fisherfolk, we also discussed the compensation quantum and payment methods, housing commitment from the state on assistance for affordable housing, and the building of a jetty for the fisherfolk to park and store their equipment," he stressed.