THE PENANG government seems to have been put on the backfoot with regards to the proposed construction of hostels for foreign workers in Teluk Kumbar after Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said that it can only proceed if all conditions set by the local government are met.
Chow stressed that there is a standard operating procedure (SOP) which the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) will impose on the project.
The proposal involves construction of two mega hostels to accommodate up to 30,000 foreign workers.
This has triggered an outcry among residents in the vicinity of Teluk Kumbar, which is on the southeastern side of the island.
The neighbourhood is predominantly a Malay area, whose 15,000-odd residents are mainly civil servants, fishermen, small and medium-scale traders, and blue-collar workers.
Their displeasure was reinforced by the elected representatives and politicians from different parties, who took part in a protest rally against the project last Saturday.
Speaking to reporters after launching the 50th anniversary celebration of Youth Park, he stressed that the developers have to fulfil certain criteria stipulated by MBPP.
The sprawling hillside park, a green lung located near the Botanical Gardens, is a popular recreational ground for local residents and has grown to also become a tourism hotspot.
Chow said that he has directed the Penang Island mayor and MBPP president Datuk Anthony Rajendran to meet up with Bayan Lepas assemblyman Datuk Azrul Mahathir Aziz to discuss the opposition against the hostel project.
It is learnt that a social impact assessment report of the proposed project is favourable to the construction of the hostels in view of the socioeconomic benefits it may generate.
However, based on feedback from nearby residents, the surrounding community is strongly against it simply because they fear becoming overwhelmed in numbers by the foreigners.
It would become another foreign worker colony like some other locations in Penang.
Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau Hoe Chai has urged Penang to consider setting up workers’ hostels within factory areas where they are employed.
It would avert congestion in residential areas, and ensure safety and security, he said. – The Vibes, January 1, 2024
