GEORGE TOWN, May 14 — Penang Forum, an umbrella body of civil society groups here, has called for the Penang state government under new Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to re-evaluate the need for land reclamation in the state.
The group has consistently opposed the planned Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project and said today there is now an urgent need for the state to review the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
“Now that the state is likely to have greater access to federal funding, there is an urgent need to review the Penang transport masterplan which should promote sustainable mobility, moving people not cars,” the Penang Forum Steering Committee said in a statement today.
The group said there was also less need to rely on property development as an engine to drive the Penang economy now.
“Instead, we should focus on building more genuinely affordable housing for the people and raising the quality of life through the provision of adequate open green spaces,” the group said.
The group said it hoped to have greater engagement with the state government on these and other issues now that Chow is helming the state administration.
Penang Forum also called on the incoming federal and state governments to seriously tackle urban and rural poverty and the wide socio-economic disparities in society.
“We appeal to all elected representatives to jointly work for the empowerment and welfare of the people, and to set aside their personal and party interests in making decisions that will have an impact on people’s lives not only now but also in the future,” it said.
The group called for a stop to the destruction of the environment, and for the care and rehabilitation of coasts and hill slopes that have been neglected, compromised or destroyed.
“The new government must put an end to crony capitalism and wage a war on corruption, particularly when it involves senior politicians and government officials,” it stressed.
The group hoped that there will be a reversal of the concentration of powers at the top executive levels of government at both the state and federal level.
The group then called for the revival of local council elections throughout the nation in order to promote greater participatory democracy and accountability at the local level.
“In Penang, we reiterate the civil society’s desire to engage with the state government on the pressing issues of the day and development plans for the state,” the group said.
The group also congratulated Pakatan Harapan (PH) for winning federal power and retaining Penang.
They congratulated Chow on his appointment as the new chief minister, succeeding Lim Guan Eng, who has been tentatively named as finance minister.
