A PENANG assemblyman said veteran activist Dr Lim Mah Hui was a perennial pessimist, who with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Penang Forum objected to almost every major project - from the SPICE Convention Centre to the Silicon Island.
Pulau Tikus assemblyman Joshua Woo Sze Zeng said Lim's objections are not just repetitive, but also riddled with misinformation which is misleading.
“Take public transport as example, Lim pointed to Bogotá’s bus rapid transit (BRT) as the “world’s most successful” model.
“LIm insisted that Penang should follow it to reduce car usage and alleviate congestion.
“But the facts tell a different story,” said Woo in a statement.
Between 2002 and 2012, the number of cars in Bogotá increased by 153%.
In 2019, after running the BRT for almost 20 years, Bogotá was ranked the most congested in the world by the Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard.
That is hardly a model for Penang, argued Woo.
Lim persisted in claiming his Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (a tram-lookalike long bus) is superior to a light rail transit (LRT) model, while ignoring the glaring flaws of on-ground issues such as higher accident risks and slower speeds compared to elevated rail, and ART’s destructive road damage (rutting).
On procurement, Lim claimed that the Request-for-Proposal (RFP) method is not an open tender, Woo noted.
"This is simply wrong. The RFP process is recognised as open bidding by international institutions such as the United Nations, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank.
"On Silicon Island, Lim went further. He called it a “lose-lose” project. Yet, the project’s results show the opposite. In just two years, Silicon Island has injected RM1.7 billion into Penang’s economy," said Woo.
The project has also supported the fishing community. More than RM11.7 million in financial aid has been given to fishermen.
A total of 121 new boats, bigger and better equipped, have also been delivered.
Free seafarer upskilling courses have been offered to 493 fishermen while a total 490 Malaysians are employed on-site.
Educational support programmes have reached 240 children of the fishermen community.
"These are clear, measurable benefits."
"The world is moving fast. Penang cannot afford to be paralysed by misinformed objections," said Woo.
Meanwhile, another Penang veteran activist Ahmad Chik came to the defence of Lim, citing that the major questions Lim has avoided are: how can this expensive project be economically sustained given Penang’s small population base?
"Where will the ridership come from? Why is he ignoring the experience of the Klang Valley? The state also has not explained how the LRT and the tunnel will improve traffic on the first bridge, Ayer Itam, Jalan Masjid Negeri and Jalan Gottlieb, to name just a few." - September 13, 2025.
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