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GEORGE TOWN – Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today paid a visit to survey the new cross-channel speedboat ferry service, taking the journey from the Swettenham cruise ship terminal here to the Sultan Abdul Halim terminal in Butterworth this morning.
He made the visit after receiving an official invitation from Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB).
Chow, however, insisted that the state government is adhering to its stand of wanting the old ferry service to be maintained and new units of the same to be bought.
“The stand is very clear that we ask PPSB and the federal government to buy a new ferry with the existing design,” he said.
"If the issues that arise are in terms of maintenance, operating costs, and safety standards, then they can be overcome by buying a new ferry," he said as reported by the state government official media Buletin Mutiara.
He said that the current ferry service has become a part of Penangites’ lives and terminating it will definitely have a profound effect on the people.
“The future of the Penang ferry is still unclear but there are also suggestions that it (the existing ferry) be used as a restaurant, museum and so on. Therefore, we leave this matter to PPSB and the Transport Ministry,” he said.
Chow said that the iconic ferry had him nostalgic, especially because he has memories of coming on it to the island 40 years ago.
“This will be a very nostalgic journey for me. I remember the first time (boarding the ferry) was in 1980 after arriving from Kuala Lumpur to Penang to further my studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia.
“After finishing my studies, I chose to live in Penang and after that started to get involved in politics. I did not expect the journey to be so long. After 40 years, I am still here.
“Today’s trip has brought back many memories, because at that time the Penang Bridge was still not there, and every semester break, we would use the ferry to take the bus in Butterworth to return to Kuala Lumpur,” he said. – The Vibes, December 30, 2020
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