Stakeholders in Penang are becoming increasingly vocal. As a recent forum would testify, these stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), concerned citizens and residents associations, are not afraid to stand up and speak out on issues that concern them -- be it land reclamation, heritage, high density development or traffic congestion.
A half-day forum, called the Penang Consultative Forum, was held recently to discuss land reclamation and other issues.
It was organised by the state government and attended by interested stakeholders and the relevant authorities.
The Town and Country Planning Department, the state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), and the Department of Environment (DoE) gave their presentations.
The forum was chaired by state Local Government and Traffic Management committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow.
The issue of land reclamation, including the first phase of the Seri Tanjung Pinang project which was raised more than once, was discussed extensively.
Questions were raised by the stakeholders with regards to the negative effects of reclamation, if any, and who would be responsible -- the developer, local council or state government.
The issue of the siltation of Gurney Drive was also brought up. Participants wanted to know whether the Seri Tanjung Pinang project was at fault.
A DoE representative said the environmental impact assessment (EIA) carried out for the project only covered the Tanjung Pinan area, while a separate EIA was done for Gurney Drive.
She said other factors, including the illegal dumping of mud by dredging contractors had also contributed to the siltation problem. As such, Tanjung Pinang could not be blamed solely for the siltation problem.
The DID representative said one way to deal with the problem of accretion and siltation at the promenade was to reclaim a stretch there to improve the flow of the current.
Stakeholders also raised issues such as high density development, swiftlets, traffic situation, illegal demolition of buildings and the Special Area Plan for the George Town World Heritage Zone.
The stakeholders clearly mean business. Their plan to "occupy" Penang Town Hall to demonstrate their displeasure with the Penang Island Municipal Council shows just that. It shows that the authorities cannot bulldoze their way through. They cannot turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the views of the stakeholders.
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