GEORGE TOWN, Dec 19 — Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng has denied supporting any proposal or decision to terminate the iconic Penang ferry service when he was in the government.

Lim said he and former transport minister Anthony Loke had also never proposed to end the ferry service.

Lim, a former Penang chief minister, said the ferry service should be maintained as it was iconic and had heritage value to the state.

"I am not against the introduction of catamarans but it should be run in parallel with the ferry service,” he told reporters after visiting the Raja Tun Uda ferry terminal here today.

In a recent Facebook posting, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong claimed that Lim had manipulated the ferry issue because the Pakatan Harapan government had proposed that the ferry service be terminated and be replaced by catamarans.

Lim, who is DAP secretary-general, welcomed Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz’s statement in the Dewan Rakyat that the ferry service would be retained.

"This is because the ferry service is 126 years old. If it is continued, the coming generations can also have a chance to experience a ferry ride,” Lim said.

The Penang Port Commission had earlier announced that the Penang ferry service, which connects the mainland in Seberang Perai to the island, will be replaced by catamarans starting Jan 1. — Bernama