GEORGE TOWN, April 19 ― Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmaker Muhamad Farid Saad wants the Pakatan Harapan state government to cancel reclaiming the southern side of the island as part of its Penang Transport Master Plan (TMP).

The Pulau Betong assemblyman said he will be filing a motion at the next legislative assembly for the state government to drop its proposal to reclaim 4,000 acres of land from the sea.

“I know the state government will be speaking about the TMP so I want to propose this motion against the land reclamation part of the project,” he told reporters today.

He hoped the state legislative assembly Speaker will not reject his motion in the upcoming sitting next month.

“There are fishermen and residents who are against this proposed reclamation so they should cancel it for the people's sake,” he said.

He added that such projects not only affect the environment but also the livelihood of fishermen living there.

Muhamad Farid had proposed a similar motion in the previous sitting where he had asked for public hearings to be held for any proposed reclamation projects in the state.

The proposed reclamation project off Permatang Damar Laut, called the South Reclamation Scheme (SRS), was meant to fund the RM27 billion TMP.

The SRS includes the creation of two man-made islands, of about 2,000 acres and 1,300 acres respectively, and later another island covering 800 acres.

The state government has since said the islands will have residential and commercial development along with amenities such as a 5km beach, 25km coastal park, 30km waterfront and 700 acres of green spaces.

Muhamad Farid had also submitted questions regarding the controversy surrounding Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's house purchase and the sale of Taman Manggis.

“I submitted the questions but I'm sure the Speaker will reject it with excuses that the issue is now being investigated by the authorities and that it could not be debated,” he said.

BN MP Shabudin Yahaya is the one to accuse Lim of corruption while linking his purchase of his RM2.8 mil house to the open tender sale or Taman Manggis to Kuala Lumpur International Dental Centre.