The Penang Chief Minister says he has not approved a single development project above 76m but his top city official says 19 such projects were approved after 2008. Who is telling the truth?
PENANG island is having a bumper season for “designer durians” and tourists and locals alike have been making their way up the hills of Balik Pulau to feast on the fruit. It has been a sweet season indeed for farmers of the thorny fruit.
But elsewhere on the island, it is the season for another kind of thorns, namely, the thorny issue of development and its side effects.
The hot-button issue in Penang today is too much development, for want of a better word. This is quite an irony because one of the reasons why Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon was shown the door in 2008 was because Penang folk thought there was not enough development in Penang.
As the well-connected developer Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping had claimed of Dr Koh during an interview, “18 years and nothing to show”, by way of saying that Dr Koh could have done more for developers in Penang.
Dr Koh was not known to be pro-developer and a couple of big developers were so cheesed off with his policies they left Penang and returned only after Lim Guan Eng came to power.
It is a different situation today. Entire neighbourhoods have been uncomfortable about the pace and type of development taking place. Guan Eng, like it or not, has acquired a reputation as being too pro-developer.
“In recent years and more so in recent months, there has been a spate of protests from angry residents in various parts of Penang island over what is happening in their communities.
“This is not an isolated incident. It is quite widespread,” said city councillor Dr Lim Mah Hui.
The curious thing is that the protests are taking place in upscale areas like Pulau Tikus, Tanjung Bungah and Sungai Ara. Middle-class folk are coming out with home-made placards to protest against projects that are affecting the quality of life in their neighbourhoods.
Last week, residents in Pulau Tikus protested against plans for a 27-storey commercial block where the maximum height is only six storeys. The residents were totally appalled because Pulau Tikus is already plagued by traffic jams and parking woes. They bombarded their assemblyman Koay Teng Hai with all sorts of questions.
All these, said Mah Hui, are signals that “something is not quite right”.
In recent days, pamphlets of “before” and “after” Google Earth images of the famed Batu Ferringhi coastline have been flying about. The pictures show how green hills have become concrete and tarmac. The “after” images were dated around 2010, resulting in DAP claiming that the images were digitally tampered with. The war over development has escalated.
Guan Eng has, as usual, blamed the previous government for the state of affairs. He has repeatedly said that his administration has not approved a single project above 76m except for green areas like a park. He repeated all that last week at a press conference alongside Penang Island City Council (MPPP) president Patahiyah Ismail.
Patahiyah, on her part, released details of 37 projects above 76m that were approved between 1985 and March 2008 under Dr Koh’s government – yes, Dr Koh was guilty as charged.
However, Patahiyah also handed out documents showing that between April 2008 and May 2012, a total of 19 projects on land above 76m were given planning approval by the MPPP; that would fall squarely under Guan Eng’s tenure.
It left many reporters scratching their heads because the Chief Minister and Patahiyah were saying opposite things about the same matter. Guan Eng said there was no approval of projects above 76m after 2008, but Patahiyah said 19 projects were approved.
They had contradicted each other at the same press conference and they seem to have gotten away with it! It was pretty amazing.
To add to this, Ong Eu Soon, a social activist often quoted on development issues in Penang, has disputed Guan Eng’s claim that his government has not approved a single development that is above 76m.
Ong did his own investigation and he has insisted that a high-rise condominium project in the Air Itam area was approved in 2009 and it is sitting well over 76m above sea level. The project is on a beautiful hill known as Bukit Hijau and is currently under construction.
According to Ong, the project, listed under the reference number of MPPP/OSC/PB(1963)/09, was approved on April 30, 2009. The developer then applied to amend the plan from a 29-storey apartment project to 38 storeys. The amendment got the green light from MPPP on Oct 14, 2009.
“The project is definitely more than 76m high because the completed project on the slope below was classified as above 76m. The completed project was approved by the Barisan Nasional government but the new one was approved by Guan Eng’s government.
“I live within walking distance of the two projects. Guan Eng should stop saying he has not approved any development higher than 76m because this is just one case. I have more information on this type of projects that were approved after March 2008,” said Ong who also contributes articles to Malaysian Insider and Malaysiakini.
It has been all too convenient for Guan Eng to blame the previous government for everything that goes wrong in Penang. After four years in power, Guan Eng should stop pointing and blaming and start looking at his own administration.
He is the chairman of two of the most powerful committees in the state, namely, the State Planning Committee and the State Land Committee. He should provide some answers about his MPPP president’s confirmation that 19 projects above 76m were approved after 2008.
Governing Penang, as many politicians have learnt, is like opening a durian. It is a delicious fruit but its thorns can hurt. It has to be handled with care. - The Star
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