GEORGE TOWN – The Penang government has not arranged a meeting on the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) between the National Physical Planning Council and Penang Forum, said former city councillor Lim Mah Hui.
The claim made by the state government is “inaccurate”, said Lim, who is a member of the Penang Forum.
He added that Penang Forum through its own contacts secured an invitation to speak at the council chaired by then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Penang Infrastructure Corporation (PIC) Sdn Bhd CEO Datuk Seri Farizan Darus on September 22 told The Vibes that the state had been transparent in the process of engaging with PTMP critics, among others, and arranged for Penang Forum to present its grouses to Dr Mahathir.
Farizan had said it was the first time that civil society groups were given a chance to voice their concerns to the council.
While Lim agreed that it was the first time that the civil societies had attended such a meeting, it was not done with the state’s help.
“We used our own channels to secure that appointment," he said.
Lim and a fellow forum member Khoo Salma Nasution were given a slot of about 10 minutes to present their concerns and objections on the PTMP and the Penang South Reclamation project.
On their way back to Penang a few hours after their presentation, they were surprised to hear over the radio that the state government had claimed the council had given approval for the plan to proceed.
A day later, a council representative said the conditional approval came with 18 recommendations that the state must meet, Lim said.
On Farizan’s statement on being transparent, Lim added that it was the Penang Forum that always wanted to engage the state to find an alternative to the multi-billion ringgit master plan.
Lim said concerns over the master plan have never been resolved because the engagements done were usually briefing sessions where the state “talked down” to the public.
He added that questions were either poorly answered, glossed over, or completely ignored.
Only two townhall sessions were ever held over the PTMP, he said.
The first was in August 2018, attended by the former Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin.
Again, it was Penang Forum that reached out to Yeo to hold the meeting that attracted about 1,000 attendees.
Subsequently, a meeting was held at the Dewan Sri Pinang with Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
Lim said during the two sessions, Penang Forum was not given the chance to sit at the table with state personnel and consultants.
Its representatives were not given a chance to sit at the table when the question-and-answer session was conducted.
Furthermore, the state did not gave them a chance to respond to questions which were posed to the forum’s representatives, Lim said.
Penang Forum in 2009 first mooted an idea for a Penang transport master plan, but was modified into a huge project that resembled more of a property plan than a transport one, he said.
Critics had proposed cheaper alternatives that promote public transportation such as buses with dedicated lanes for public commuters, rather than more highways for private cars.
Other suggestions included an autonomous rail rapid transport, such as trackless tram, that should be considered over a light rail transit system.
The master plan now revolves around five highways, an LRT system, an undersea tunnel, a tram line and a cable car system. – The Vibes, September 28, 2020
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