GEORGE TOWN: Forum Seberang Perai, a coalition of Penang mainland development interest groups and non-governmental organisations, has questioned Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s focus on the island’s development and “ignoring” the development needs of the mainland.
Forum Seberang Perai pro-tem president Saravanan Balakrishnan said the group was of the view that Chow and the state government were obsessed with the L3P — LRT, PIL, PIA and PSR — being implemented on the island at the expense of Seberang Prai’s development.
LRT refers to the Bayan Lepas light rail transit scheme, PIL (Pan Island Link Highway), PIA (Penang International Airport) and PSR (Penang South Reclamation), which will see the creation of three man-made islands measuring 1,800ha.
All of these projects, except PIA, are part of the state-initiated RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
“We want to stress here that the feelings and voices of Penang folk on mainland development have been ignored or dismissed by the state government.
“During the Penang 2030’s launch, Chow’s vision for the state, it was widely reported that the mainland would be the ultimate focus, but we are now realising the campaign’s rhetoric.
“The PTMP is focused mostly on the island’s infrastructure and facilities.
“Penang island will get new roads and highways, while the mainland will get only three linked-roads.”
Saravanan said people on the mainland were still using single-lane roads.
He cited Jalan Permatang Tinggi to Bukit Minyak as an example, saying that it was a two-lane, two-way main road linking three major industrial parks (Prai Industrial Zone, Bukit Minyak Industrial Park and Bukit Tengah Industrial Park) and three small to medium enterprise (SME) parks (SME Permatang Tinggi, Bukit Minyak and Bukit Tengah).
He said the road was 3.2km, but a point-to-point travel would take a minimum of 40 minutes.
“This trunk road will also link two upcoming industrial parks — Valdor Industrial Park and Batu Kawan Industrial Park.
“The list goes on for the Prai Industrial Area to Juru, which is using a single-lane bridge.
“The same goes for another bridge that links the Valdor Industrial Park with the Batu Kawan Industrial area.
“Another example is the congested Jalan Bukit Tambun, a 30-minute travel on a 2.2km main road in the Seberang Prai Selatan district linking Penang Science Park-Batu Kawan-Permatang Tinggi-Sungai Bakap and the North-South Expressway.”
The road, he added, had not been repaired or resurfaced for four years, and after anger was vented by road users, a resurfacing was carried out, but covering 500m only.
Saravanan said the state government had yet to voice out the same level of urgency for road expansions for the mainland, compared with the PIA and PIL, which were being highlighted almost weekly.
“There were calls by Chow for part of the PTMP — the Bayan Lepas-Komtar LRT and PIL 1 — to be incorporated into the next Malaysia Plan whereas there is silence when it comes to improving Seberang Prai’s road and traffic conditions.
“We have never heard of the chief minister writing to the Prime Minister’s Office or Finance Ministry to hasten the release of funds for road expansion to ease the traffic in Seberang Prai.”
Saravanan urged Chow to reconsider the proposal to develop an airport in Seberang Prai, stressing that the group’s stand was that the state government should not opt to defend the “historic and meaningful” Bayan Lepas Airport at the expense of Seberang Prai’s development.
He said that an international airport in Seberang Prai would be a catalyst for the growth of Greater Penang and the Northern Corridor.
“Instead of collaborating to kickstart projects that will benefit the industrial areas, Chow is finding ways to reject proposals or plans for their implementation while maintaining the need to expand the PIA, which is only beneficial to the island.
“He is using the Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone as a ‘bogeyman’ that a new airport can have a negative impact on the state’s economy, which is dependent on manufacturing and the services sector, instead of looking at the bigger picture of how a Seberang Prai airport can benefit the industrial zones.
“The mainland is suffering from a lack of development plans, as well as political will for it to be fully utilised.
“We urge the state government and Chow to carry out balanced and sustainable development on the island and mainland.
“We urge him to write to the prime minister and Finance Ministry regarding the road-widening projects in Seberang Prai.
“Lastly, we urge him to be the chief minister for the whole of Penang, by giving equal priority to Seberang Prai’s development,” he said.