GEORGE TOWN – Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Daniel Gooi has called on the Penang Port Commission (PPC) to look into the plight of food stall and transport operators with the revamp of ferry services beginning Friday.
He said that PPC, in its haste to modernise the service, has forgotten about them.
Gooi also said that port operator Penang Port Sdn Bhd’s (PPSB) plans to upgrade the existing two terminals – century-old Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal on the island and Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal in Butterworth – from Friday until June 30, 2022, will further complicate matters.
He has met the 16 food stall owners, who complained about adverse losses with the changes.
“What happens to the street traders and hawkers who are situated at the two terminals?” Gooi asked in a statement.
“They want PPSB to find an amicable solution to their plight. Ideally, they should be relocated to Swettenham Pier,” he said.
Gooi said that taxi and ride-sharing operators have also complained that the sudden relocation to Swettenham Pier from Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal will complicate matters. This is is because the KTM ticket counter and Rapid Penang bus terminus are located at the current ferry terminal.
Within the next 48 hours, the iconic double-decker ferries will stop transporting motorists. Only one will be set aside for motorcyclists and cyclists crossing the straits.
Foot passengers have been directed to take speedboat catamarans from a pontoon tied to the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal to Swettenham Pier.
This practice will continue until June 2022, although there is stiff opposition from the DAP-led state government, which plans to mobilise a large crowd gathering tomorrow to plead for the iconic ferries to continue servicing motorists in tandem with the catamarans, which are solely for foot passengers.
Meanwhile, Penang Gerakan secretary Hng Chee Wey accused DAP of being insincere in fighting for the iconic ferry service, saying that the party did not use its full power to do so when it was in the federal government previously.
He said DAP had the opportunity to save the ferry when two of its leaders were appointed as finance minister (Lim Guan Eng) and transport minister (Anthony Loke) for 22 months.
Calling on DAP not to use the issue for political mileage now, he said the issue of replacing the iconic ferry with catamarans had been raised when Pakatan Harapan (PH) was in power.
“If DAP sincerely wants to save this iconic ferry, why was no action taken during the 22 months of PH rule?” he said at a press conference.
He added that the DAP-led state administration has also clearly stated that it does not intend to take over the ferry service, as previously reported by the media.
“That is why we are confident that if DAP or PH were in control of the government today, the termination of this iconic ferry will still happen as planned,” he said.
On October 19, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow reportedly said the state did not plan to take over the ferry service currently managed by Rapid Ferry Sdn Bhd. – December 30, 2020
Additional reporting by Sofia Nasir
