GEORGE TOWN, Jan 5 — The objectives listed in the Penang Island draft local plan are unrealistic, said state Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Datuk Dominic Lau.
He said the draft local plan for the island, which is on public display until January 10, lacked crucial details and contained unrealistic objectives that were highly impossible to be achieved.
He criticised the state government for coming up with a shoddy draft local plan that was put together carelessly and without putting in diligent effort.
“The state government should review the draft local plan and come up with a more comprehensive plan that answers the five Ws and one H for what, where, when, why, who and how,” he said during a press conference today.
He said the objectives listed in the draft local plan must also be realistic and achievable and not merely there with lofty unachievable goals.
He pointed at the section on the proposed redevelopment of abandoned commercial premises and lot.
“They have a redevelopment proposal but there was no comprehensive plan for this such as how many lots, where are the lots, who are implementing the projects,” he said.
On another section on medical and education tourism, he said even Penang General Hospital and Balik Pulau Hospital — both government hospitals — were listed as part of the state’s medical tourism products.
“These are government hospitals for Malaysians and these hospitals could barely accommodate locals and they want to promote these for medical tourism?” he asked.
As for the section on affordable housing, he said the state government’s objective was to build 27,100 units of affordable housing on the island and 37,500 units in the local plan for Seberang Perai.
“The local plan is until 2030 so this means their objective is to build 64,600 units of affordable housing in seven years which is a good objective but unrealistic,” he said.
He said based on a written reply in the state legislative assembly in May last year, the state had only built 8,661 units of affordable housing between 2008 and 2021.
“This means they build around 666 units each year. Based on this, they can only build 4,662 units in seven years, so how will they manage to build 64,600 units?” he asked.
Lau said Penang PN has formed a committee to observe and monitor the state government’s performance including this draft local plan.
“We will continue to bring up issues and monitor the performance of the state government as the state Opposition,” he said.
