Earlier, there was speculation among Penang Forum members that Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) had cancelled the session.
However, the three-hour event took off as scheduled to the relief of those present at USM’s Centre for Public Policy Research and International Studies (Cenpris).
USM Cenpris director Assoc Prof Azeem Fawzan Farouk confirmed he had to deal with “external unforeseen circumstances” when organising the talk today but these were later resolved.
He told reporters the event today had carried on as planned after the vice-chancellor gave the nod.
“We saw nothing wrong with the talk and decided to continue with it,” Azeem said.
Some 50 people attended the talk hosted by USM lecturer Ahmad Murad Merican and Penang Forum, discussing the reasons why the PIL 1 highway ought to be cancelled to make way for better public transport.
A Penang Forum member, on condition of anonymity, claimed that another briefing this Friday at a private college in George Town had to be cancelled after undue pressure from the management.
The member claimed the private college’s board of directors had said the event was “not in line with the state’s policies” and hence rescinded the offer of their venue.
“We are now looking for a new venue to host our talk.”
The PIL 1 highway is a 19.5km, six-lane toll-free road which will connect Gurney Drive to the second Penang Bridge in Bayan Lepas.
The highway will have a 10km section with four tunnels, which have been proposed to be “drilled and blasted” through the hills at Penang Hill, Paya Terubong and Sungai Ara.
The state government said it was necessary to have tunnels instead of having elevated structures to avoid cutting down trees and relocating residents along the route.
The Penang government has maintained that the highway remained a proposal as it has not received the nod from federal environmental regulators.