‘Highest ever compensation for fishermen hit by reclamation’

Penang CM says if federal government rejects this project, it should answer why reclamation is allowed in Johor, Melaka and Kedah.

PETALING JAYA: The Penang government is looking seriously into the welfare of fishermen who will be affected by the state’s proposed reclamation project on the island’s southern coast.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, in stating this, dismissed concerns aired by Prime Minister Najib Razak on the matter.

Lim said the federal government’s decision on the project should not be based on political considerations.

He said the state planned to give the highest recorded compensation in the country for the affected fishermen at Permatang Damar Laut.

The fishermen will continue to have access to the sea as the reclamation entailed the creation of artificial islands and would allow the existing beach to remain.

“We will ensure we reduce any impact, give compensation for whatever impact happens and enable them to continue being fishermen and catch fish,” he told reporters in Penang this morning.

He also said the Penang government’s commitment to the welfare of the state’s fisherfolk was shown through its programme to provide them with free dragnets twice a year.

Yesterday, Najib had told a gathering in Balik Pulau, which is the constituency in which the reclamation is being planned, that the federal government would not support the project if it caused environmental problems or affected the income of the 1,500 fishermen there.

He said the federal government had its own criteria when it came to approving projects and would not reject something solely on political grounds.

“The 1,800-hectare land reclamation project to be implemented by the state government must meet certain requirements. I do not want the federal government’s stand to be misunderstood.”

Lim said if the project is not permitted, the federal government should answer why similar massive reclamation projects had been allowed in Johor, Melaka and Kedah.

He alleged that any decision to reject the project would be a political one to meet the interests of Umno’s Balik Pulau MP Hilmi Yahaya, who is also deputy health minister, and not one merely based on the views of environmental or technical experts.

“We feel it should be allowed to be studied from a technical viewpoint and not in a political manner,” he said, claiming that the Department of Environment’s (DoE) study of the proposal was progressing well.

Lim also claimed that Najib had thrice promised to build a light rail transit (LRT) system over the last eight years.

“Because this has not been done, the state government has to develop a transport master plan whose cost is to be borne by the reclamation project,” he said, referring to the Penang Transport Master Plan.

“If the reclamation does not take place as planned, then the LRT project also cannot be implemented,” he added. - FMT