GEORGE TOWN – Quiet and unassuming, Zakaria Ismail was busy overseeing the Sg Batu fishing unit until the day he decided to challenge the environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval for the controversial Penang South Islands (PSI) project.
The 64-year-old, who has been vocal with his concerns since 2016, this week returned to the limelight to celebrate a goliath victory when the appeal board under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 sided with him – greatly impacting the PSI project scheduled to start soon.
Zakaria told The Vibes that he was on cloud nine after the verdict was read out by sessions court judge Rozina Ayub on Wednesday.
“After the results were read out, I asked my lawyer several times, ‘is it true that we won?’. Because it seems hard to believe.
“I had all kinds of feelings at that time – happy, tearful, sad. This was the result of the efforts of all parties, not me alone.”
Zakaria may appear to be just an ordinary senior citizen by others, but the father of four is a former laboratory assistant at the School of Industrial Technology (Food Division) at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
Guided by 30 years of experience and meeting many professionals while serving at the institution, he initially took the step to protest against the PSI project alone after hearing about it in 2016.
“While serving at USM, I was a part-time fisherman. I am a native of Sg Batu; my grandfather, my father, my siblings, they are all fishermen. When we found out about the PSI, we all felt worried and sad.
“Back in my working days, I also learned some letter-writing techniques. So, I wrote letters of protest to many parties, including the developer, the state government, the fisheries agency, and the DoE. But not everyone responded.”
He said everything changed when the Penang Fishermen’s Association (PenMutiara) took him to meet friends of environmental non-governmental organisations, who were also objecting to the project.
Since then, he said, the protest process has become easier, and he submitted an objection to the DoE through a lawyer to challenge the EIA approval after it was approved on June 25, 2019.
“By using legal channels, the DoE responded. I must also thank the NGOs who have been helping the fishermen.”
Zakaria said now he can sleep soundly, something he has not been able to do for years.
“Every day, I prayed for God to help us and to ensure our affairs run smoothly. Now, I can sleep a little better, even though I know the battle is far from over.” – The Vibes, September 10, 2021
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