At a press conference today, Chow said the mega reclamation project, which was first proposed in 2013, did not hurt PH in the last two general elections.

“In 2018, we laid it (the PSI plan) on the table, that we wanted to implement the project,” he said, adding that voters had the chance to state their stance on the matter through the ballot box.

“We won with the biggest majority ever, including the seats around the project site,” he said, referring to the Bayan Lepas and Batu Maung state seats.

In the 2018 state elections, PH won 37 of the 40 seats up for grabs. It also retained seats in the Bayan Baru and Balik Pulau parliamentary constituencies which are near the project site.

“In GE15, if you look at the results, we did not see an erosion of support. We can’t stop any parties, be it the political parties or NGOs, from politicising the issue.

“We have been very open with this project, and we have nothing to hide,” he said.

The project previously received strong opposition from fishermen, environmentalists and the G25 group of prominent retired civil servants over concerns that it would adversely affect marine life.

Yesterday, Chow said the state government had obtained approval for the PSI based on a new environmental impact assessment, with 71 conditions attached.

Separately, he said Penang PH will meet with Penang Umno next week to discuss seat allocations for the coming state elections.

Penang, along with Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, are set to hold elections this year.