GEORGE TOWN: Following in the Consumers’ Association of Penang’s (CAP) footsteps, Penang Forum on Thursday called for a review of all mega projects, involving both foreign or domestic interests.
This comes after Council of Eminent Persons chairman Tun Daim Zainuddin announced on May 18 that it would review all mega projects to determine “if they are to our advantage”.
Penang Forum steering committee said the pertinent question is whether the mega projects will not only benefit the people, but will also protect the environment for future generations.
The group, in a statement, said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow had recently announced that the state government would prioritise and hasten the implementation of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), which is a mega project estimated to cost RM46 billion.
“We call on the Penang government to review this mega project because Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto promise No 39 ‘Balancing economic growth with environmental protection’ has a commitment towards improving public transport.
“Given the scale of the funding for this mega project, the state must ensure government procurement produces the best value for taxpayers’ money (manifesto promise No 23).
“The awarding process used was based on a Request for Proposal, rather than a true open tender, which did not allow for any meaningful comparison of bid documents as the scope of work was not fixed, hence the award process must also be reviewed and revisited,” it said.
The steering committee said, furthermore, the present transport masterplan was based on the assumption that buses, ferries and a cross-channel bridge were under federal control, and there was nothing the state could do about it.
As such, it noted, it did not focus on how these could be improved or expanded.
“But now that circumstances have changed, the plan needs to be revised.
“In view of Malaysia’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, which are in force, and Pakatan Harapan’s commitment to sustainable public transport, Penang’s transport policy should be radically shifting from building more highways (to accommodate more cars) to putting in place a first-rate comprehensive network of public transport,” it stressed.
The steering committee pointed out that planning for equitable public transport should take into consideration the following criteria:
* fiscal prudence that should consider cost-effectiveness in construction, operation and maintenance. Detailed financial analysis of different public transport systems must be done and compared. The most cost-effective system should be selected;
* other important considerations are efficiency of operation, predictable schedules, and systems compatibility;
* the different components of the transport system must be well connected and integrated, socially inclusive, with a low impact on the built and natural environment;
* extensive public consultation at every stage – with plans available for online viewing and download so that more people can view and comment – must be carried out. The exercise must be open to scrutiny.
* independent consultants who are at the forefront of designing equitable, sustainable transport must be engaged to do the review of the plans. They must not be associated with or employed by parties involved in tendering for the project.
According to the steering committee, the 2016 transport proposal is a mega project put forward by SRS Consortium to the state government.
“The design and planning fails to meet most of the above criteria. The overpriced package includes many components of mega-road building that will discourage people from using public transport and undermine the stated goal of increasing public modal share of transport.
“Although public consultations have been held about impacts in specific localities, open scrutiny of the whole design was strongly discouraged,” it said, adding that the original PTMP by Halcrow involved public consultation, b
ut the state pressured the consultants to add the undersea tunnel and three highways costing a total of RM6.3 billion just before it adopted the plan in 2013.
It further went on to say that the SRS proposal, costing RM46 billion, includes a proposal to reclaim 4,500 acres of land (comprising three islands), which departs drastically from the officially adopted 2013 Halcrow masterplan.
Thus, a thorough, proper and independent review should be carried out to ascertain its suitability, viability and sustainability, it added.
The steering committee noted that the massive proposed reclamation would destroy fishing grounds and jeopardise fishing livelihoods and a vital local source of seafood.
“It will be environmentally unsustainable due to expensive maintenance costs (required for dredging) in the future. No 10 of the manifesto promise talks of ensuring food security and protecting the welfare of farmers and fishermen.
“Last but not least, with rapid changes in public transport technology and new trends in info-mobility, it is imperative that any existing plan for public transport should be re-examined. A new public transport design has to be integrated to encourage, walking, cycling, and bus use.
“In view of all the above considerations, Penang Forum calls on the Penang government, which promises accountability, transparency and openness, to exercise fiscal prudence and to review the present RM46 billion SRS transport proposal in line with Pakatan Harapan’s promise to review all mega projects that may not be advantageous to the people,” it stressed.
Last Thursday, CAP urged the Penang government to serve as a model state in reviewing mega projects, and not stand out by going against the national trend following the Federal government’s bold and quick move to save much-needed funds and improve the nation’s finances by cancelling the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail project and the Klang Valley MRT 3 project, and reviewing the East Coast Rail Link and other projects.
CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris had said that with the country going on an austerity drive, there must be a re-prioritising of how limited funds are spent.
He had said that CAP agreed that allocations for the most basic projects should be raised, especially those related to flood prevention and mitigation, rehabilitation of hills and hillslopes that have suffered from landslides, and enlargement of forest and catchment areas.
“Billions of ringgit are required for these activities and the Federal Government should allocate the funds to Penang.
“However, it appears that the state government is placing higher priority on the group of projects under PTMP, which is reported to cost up to RM46 billion, according to press reports in June last year,” he was quoted as saying.
The PTMP projects include a RM6.43 billion undersea tunnel and three paired roads — light rail transit project, Penang South Reclamation, including reclaiming land to create three man-made islands with a total area of 1,800ha, highways and a major development in Gurney Drive. In addition, there is a plan for a cable car to Penang Hill with a terminal in the Penang Botanic Gardens.