An angry Mohideen Abdul Kader, who is CAP president, said the project, formerly known as Penang South Reclamation (PSR), cannot begin until the appeal by the fishing community is exhausted.
A group of 185 fishermen had appealed against the reclamation project to the Department of Environment (DoE). The federal agency has set three days from March 23 to hear the appeal.
Deputy chief minister Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman had said reclamation work on one of the three islands would begin by March, at a rate of “25 acres (10ha) a month”.
While the DoE approved the creation of the islands with 72 conditions, a key component, the environmental management plan has yet to be okayed.
Mohideen said by arbitrarily announcing that the PSR would take off before the hearing dates, the authorities were undermining the due process of the law.
“Where did he (Zakiyuddin) get the assurance that the appeals board will decide in favour of the state government and the project delivery partners?
“He should not have made the statement because it would have a negative impact and erode public confidence in the appeal process. What happens if the decision goes against the state government?”
Mohideen said the affected fishing community had appealed against the project after the DoE itself had admitted that the reclamation would do “irreversible damage” to marine life, among others.
“If there is irreversible damage to our fishery resources and the ecosystem, then no development or destruction should be permitted,” he said in a statement.
The environment and water ministry had earlier said the PSR cannot begin without an environmental management plan (EMP) which is part of the 72-condition approval given in 2019.
It was reported that the Penang Infrastructure Corporation, the state government’s special purpose vehicle, had submitted an EMP to the DoE and had not received a reply yet.
The three-island project will reclaim 1,821ha of land. These will later be sold to the highest bidder to finance infrastructure projects worth RM46 billion, such as highways and an LRT rail line with 30 stations criss-crossing the island.
The project will be spread over 17 sq km, with islands to be reclaimed off the coast of Permatang Damar Laut, near Bayan Lepas, in the south. The whole reclamation and the infrastructure project will take about 20 to 30 years to complete.