NOV 26 — The war of words arising from Penang’s land reclamation controversies would only make one lament the poor quality of our politicians.
Our politicians don’t seem to understand that land reclamation is a very serious environmental issue and not just their own political game.
Take a look at Penang today, much of the island’s natural vista has been transformed, thanks to endless reclamation works. The erstwhile Pearl of the Orient has been permanently changed owing to indiscriminate reclamation.
Other than altering the original coastline, reclamation works also negatively impact the existing ecosystem, causing the atmospheric temperature to rise, aggravating the heat island effect, debilitating the drainage system resulting in frequent floods while affecting the oceanic currents that might pose severe risks to sea navigation.
This is common sense in environment preservation, and a grave problem encountered by the state of Penang. If this is allowed to go on unchecked, the living quality of Penangites will most definitely be affected.
As such, if anyone proposes in the state legislative assembly to shelve future land reclamation projects, this is not about factional interests but rather the well-being of the general public.
The one who has voiced this up is an Umno rep. The motion has not only gained the support of all BN assemblymen but also DAP’s Teh Yee Cheu.
What’s wrong for Teh to voice his support for BN’s motion given his loyalty to his environmental cause? I don’t think he should tender an apology at all.
As for those who have opposed to it, be they from DAP or PKR, should perhaps explain to the voters in Penang why the reclamation works should not be put on hold.
The question lies with the five PKR reps who chose to abstain from voting. State PKR whip Ong Chin Wen said they abstained from voting out of their “conscience”.
Environment preservation is a vital issue and there is no way we should oppose to such a motion against our own conscience.
That said, chief minister Lim Guan Eng seems to have reacted very strongly to the “betrayal” of Teh et al.
PKR itself does not voice out against their assemblymen supporting BN’s motion on land reclamation, and we can interpret that as the party’s tacit approval of their ‘conscience”.
As for CM Lim, he has put all his energy on slamming reps not standing on his side, including those from his own party and Pakatan ally. He has ignored the massive destruction this will do to the natural environment of Penang and the quality of life of its people.
As if that is not enough, he puts the blame on the previous administration, a pretext that couldn’t have sounded more familiar to many of us. The thing is, he has been in power for seven years now, but has he actually done any evaluation on the state’s land reclamation policy over the past seven years? Has he ever reviewed the contracts signed by the previous administration? Or has he approved any new reclamation projects himself?
This is not just a political game. It needs some awareness, and a little of conscience.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
