No to Penang reclamation if 'sand thrown into rice bowls', says Najib

The proposed Penang South reclamation project involving 4,500 acres in the southern part of the island may not see the light of day if it affects the livelihood of the people, said Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Najib said he was aware of grouses from the fishing community that about 1,500 fishermen would allegedly be affected by the reclamation works.

"Any project that throws sand into people's rice bowls will not be allowed," Najib said at a lunch meeting with the Balik Pulau community in Penang today.

However, Najib urged certain quarters not to misunderstand the federal government's decisions on projects proposed by the Penang government.

"We do not have any political motives for rejecting projects just because the state is ruled by the (federal) opposition," Najib said.

"This is not our stand, if we are like that, we would not be bringing so many development projects to Penang," he said.

Najib said this after Balik Pulau MP Hilmi Yahya raised the fishermen's concerns during his speech welcoming the premier.

PM: Be environment-friendly

Part of the state's ambitious RM27 billion Penang transport master plan (PTMP), which promises to make the whole island accessible by various modes of transport, involves plans to create three man-made islands through sea reclamation.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has said the reclaimed land would be sold for commercial and residential purposes through an open tender process.

Funds generated through this exercise would go into financing the RM27 billion Penang Transport Master Plan.

The state has appointed SRS Consortium as the project delivery partner (PDP) for the PTMP via open tender.

The plan includes proposed highways, light rail transit (LRT) systems and other public transportation options.

Meanwhile, Najib said for any project to be approved by the federal government, it must satisfy three tests.

One, the proposed projects must not bring negative impact or cause financial losses to the local community, he said.

"Two, the project must be environment-friendly and three, there must be an alternative plan to save the rakyat's money," said Najib. - Mkini