GEORGE TOWN – The Penang government has been urged to clarify the status of the construction of migrant worker hostels to house at least 30,000 migrant workers in Bayan Lepas here.
Datuk Muhamad Farid Saad, chairman of the Penang Malay Think Tank, expressed concern that the proposed construction of hostels at three locations in Bayan Lepas would cause severe socioeconomic problems for the locals.
“What is the logic of building hostels for migrant workers to accommodate 30,000 to 50,000 workers or any number, when there is no new industrial activity in the area?
“What is the real motive for the construction of hostels in the Malay-majority area? Is this the form of development that the state government wants to make?” he said at a press conference today.
It is understood that the state government will build three hostels for migrant workers, occupying lands measuring 1.4ha, 2.8ha and 4.78ha.
Farid, who is also a former Pulau Betong state assemblyman from Umno, said the movement of factory buses would cause traffic congestion, due to the small road that has not been upgraded for a long time.
In fact, he said, property values in the surrounding areas will also experience depreciation due to the increase in the crime index which is expected to occur due to the influx of migrants.
“Take the example of the development in Relau and in Taman Nagasari, Juru which has experienced depreciation due to being a settlement for foreigners. We don’t want it to be like that here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Datuk Muhammad Idiris Saleh, chairman of Masjid Maqbul in Teluk Kumbar, who was also present, said protests against the construction of the hostels have been made since last year, but there has not been any response from the state government.
“Residents have protested in October last year. Even Bayan Lepas state assemblyman Azrul Mahathir Aziz also stated it (objection) officially at the state assembly session last November.
“But until now, no state government representative has come to meet us or want to have discussions with us,” he said.
Idiris said the high number of migrants staying at the hostels will cause their numbers to be almost equal to the local voters.
He said the state government should take feedback from locals before making any decision.
Last October, more than 30 residents staged a peaceful protest in Teluk Kumbar to urge the state government to reject any proposal or plan involving construction of hostels for migrant workers in Bayan Lepas. – The Vibes, January 24, 2022
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