GEORGE TOWN – DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has described today as the saddest day for Penang, which is set to lose the iconic ferry service that has been its hallmark for decades.
He said Penangites will not forgive or forget the federal government’s decision not to protect the service.
“Today is a sad day for us. We feel frustrated and upset,” said the Bagan MP and former chief minister during a trip with some 100 supporters and reporters aboard a ferry.
“A piece of our soul seems to be torn, and we will definitely continue to immortalise the ferry in our hearts.”
Today is the last day that the traditional ferries, operating in their current form since the 1950s, carry cars and foot passengers.
From tomorrow, only motorcycles and bicycles will be allowed on the ferries, which will be completely phased out in 2022.
Barring special permission due to an emergency, four-wheeled vehicles will from tomorrow only be able to ply the state’s two bridges to travel between the island and mainland.
Foot passengers, meanwhile, will only be allowed to use two speedboats loaned by Penang Port Sdn Bhd from Langkawi.
Lim and his supporters boarded a ferry from the Raja Uda terminal here heading towards the Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim terminal in Butterworth to signify their support for the heritage vessel.
The event, which was monitored by security forces, was peaceful.
Among the leaders present were Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy and Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh.
Lim promised to maintain and restore the iconic ferry service if Pakatan Harapan returns to power in the next general election.
If PH was still in power today, he said, the ferries would not have met their current fate.
“There is no reason for the Perikatan Nasional government not to continue this iconic ferry, except to save costs.
“Is it enough to save these costs when we have to lose the state’s heritage?” – The Vibes December 31, 2020
