Chow mistook our stand, we also oppose cash compensation - fishermen group

Fishermen are upset that Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has "misinterpreted" (salah tafsir) their stand on the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.

At a press conference in Bayan Lepas today, Penang Fishermen Association chairperson Nazri Ahmad said that in a meeting with Chow and state exco Dr Afif Bahardin in Komtar on May 31, his team had firmly and unanimously rejected the project.

"We strongly urged the project to be cancelled. I can also say that almost all the fulltime fishermen affected by the reclamation have rejected any proposal of compensation in cash.

"The reclamation project will destroy seafood resources and our livelihood, so the compensation in cash is useless. Together with several NGOs, we have submitted our views about the PSR's environment impact assessment (EIA) report to the state in writing," he said.

Nazri was referring to Chow's (below) remarks in Buletin Mutiara where he said: "Even so, those who said they have issues with the implementation of the project, actually do not oppose the project". 

Accompanying Nazri at the press conference was Penang Forum's Khoo Salma Nasution and about 50 other fishermen.

Nazri said the fishermen have made a final decision at an emergency meeting today to oppose the PSR, which involves the creation of three artificial islands covering a landmass of 1,821ha.

He added that if the plan were to go on, they would prefer the state's transformation plan, not compensation.

"Buletin Mutiara only reported our request for a transformation plan, and not that we oppose the project, as if the fishermen were only interested in material compensation only.

"The CM also made it look as if we only wanted payment. This is an insult to the fishermen and a denial of our right to speak. That is why 200 of us marched to Parliament on July 11. We will try our best to stop the reclamation project". 

The association said it represents about 5,000 fishermen whose livelihood were affected by previous reclamation projects in Seri Tanjung Pinang and Gurney Drive.

Nazri said his members also queried why the EIA was approved with 72 conditions by the Department of Environment on July 4 without any input from the fishing community.

Yesterday, Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Salahuddin Ayub admitted that the project will endanger 4,996 fishermen in Penang, 1,422 of which are traditional ones.

He estimated that 51,184 metric tonnes of marine capture in Penang worth RM555 million a year will be impacted.  - Mkini