Use your new role to stop Penang reclamation project, Nurul Izzah told

 

Nurul Izzah Anwar has been asked to use her new position as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s senior economics and finance adviser to urge the government to stop the Penang South Island (PSI) reclamation project.

Gerakan deputy president Oh Tong Keong reminded her that she had also once opposed the project.

“I remind the senior adviser to the prime minister Nurul Izzah to stick to her principles of opposing the reclamation project.

“If she still holds the same views, she should suggest that the prime minister and Pakatan Harapan chairperson Anwar instruct the Penang state government to immediately cancel this plan.

“She had stressed that the fisherfolk in Penang opposed the PSI reclamation project because it will seriously affect their livelihood.

“The rakyat and many NGOs are also strongly against this because the project will severely destroy the marine ecology in PSI and will cause disastrous consequences to a large number of marine life,” Oh said in a statement today.

Gerakan deputy president Oh Tong Keong

He was referring to Nurul Izzah’s previous statement in July 2019, where she had expressed her opposition to the project and said it was not too late to stop it.

At the time, she also said that giving compensation to the fisherfolk and building new roads would not solve the problem of traffic congestion in Penang and that the project will destroy the environment.

A group of fisherfolk opposing the PSI reclamation project had previously refused to accept any compensation offers from the state government.

The Penang Fishermen’s Association insisted they must meet with Anwar first before accepting any deals.

The PSI project is currently stalled after the approval for its first environmental impact assessment (EIA) was revoked in 2021.

Formerly known as the Penang South Reclamation (PSR), the PSI is a state government project involving the reclamation of three islands to build industrial zones, tourist attractions, education hubs and housing projects, including affordable housing.

The artificial islands will span 1,821ha, equivalent to the size of 2,550 football fields.

Despite the state government’s promise that the project will be developed sustainably and that it will create jobs and spur the economy, the local fisherfolk remain staunchly against the project as they are concerned about its impact on both the environment and their livelihoods. - Mkini