Don't repeat mistakes of BN gov't, Penang cable car critics say

The Socialist Progressive Front has urged the Pakatan Harapan state government not to repeat the mistakes of the previous BN administration by introducing a cable car project in the iconic Penang Botanical Gardens.

Spokesperson Teh Yee Cheu (above, left), who is also a PSM central committee member, said the previous BN government reportedly had planned to build a cable car gound station at the current park.

"Why repeat the BN project that was clearly a mismatch with the Botanical Gardens and the Clive Justice Plan (Botanic Garden Development Masterplan formulated in 1989)?" Teh asked, at a press conference at the Gardens today.

In October, the Penang government announced that it was studying a proposal to build a cable car from the Rifle Club at Penang Botanical Gardens up to the entrance of The Habitat, a green, lush forest park on the top of Penang Hill.

This came after Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng announced a RM100 million allocation for Penang Hill in the 2020 Budget.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said eight to 10 pylons will be installed from the park to the hilltop, but the plan raised concerns of environmental NGOs and Penangites who have guarded both areas protectively.

It is said the opposition to development plans on Penang Hill was one of the factors which caused the BN government to lose the 2008 national polls.

However, business and tourism sectors were open to the cable car idea as it would introduce a new tourism product on the island.

Teh reminded the state government that the Botanical Gardens was founded 135 years ago, with its main activities focussed on research on plants.

"The cable car will introduce more traffic flow into the Botanical Gardens and may destroy its serenity and tranquility," Teh, a former two-term DAP Tanjung Bungah assemblyperson, said.

"The Botanical Gardens is a popular spot with locals and tourists as the place is designed for recreational purposes," he added.

Accompanying Teh at the press conference was state PRM committee member Kelvin Chuah, who said a cable car system at the Botanical Gardens would worsen the situation as there is already a rifle club in the area.

"Both are a mismatch to the Botanical Garden; the noise created by the shooting range has already received complaints from NGOs and visitors," said Chuah, who contested the Tanjung Bungah state seat in GE14, but lost to DAP's Zairil Khir Johari.

"We were told the cable car may accommodate 4,000 passengers per day. Imagine how much traffic flow there will be to the Botanical Gardens, especially during public and school holidays," Chuah added.

Chuah said the previous administration failed to comply with the Botanical Gardens Development Masterplan .

This included allowing physical structures or modifications done wrongly, which involved a nearby hawker centre.

Even the Rifle club and shooting range that were supposed to be a temporary structure in 2000 for the Sukma Games are a mismatch to the Botanical Gardens, Chuah said.

"The cable car plan has raised the concerns of the public, while NGOs have urged for a feasibility study to be conducted addressing the issue of traffic flow and noise disturbance at the garden.

"There are already suggestions to move away the Rifle Club and shooting range from the botanical gardens, yet the state government is planning a cable car project there. Why?" Chuah asked. - Mkini