A cover-up job?
One of the projects on the steep hill-slopes of Tanjung Bunga Photos by a Tanjung Bunga resident
Just to recap, some one hundred residents of Tanjung Bunga protested at development projects on steep hill-slopes by banging pots and pans on Valentine’s Day. Many of the residents there are living in fear, especially during thunderstorms.
Before anyone else asks why these residents didn’t protest earlier, they did.
Says long-time Tanjung Bunga resident Dr Andrew Aeria:
Actually many of us did vote PR for change. And we have protested previously for umpteen times. Our first protest was in the early 1990s, when the hill was first sold by Mr Chan Siew Teong to some developer. The then Chee Seng residents held an open dialogue with Koh Tsu Koon and Chia Kwang Chye expressing our concerns about steep hill-slope development even then. We have written, complained and appealed to the previous government since then – but to no avail.
Many of the Tanjung Bunga protesters, like many other Malaysians elsewhere, wanted change and so they voted for Pakatan in the last general election. They dumped Koh Tsu Koon and company because they were fed up with them.
Like many other Malaysians, Tanjung Bunga residents realised on 8 March 2008 that they could make a difference if they stood up and be counted.
But their support for Pakatan was not unconditional. It wasn’t a blank cheque. Voters wanted change, many of them voted for change, and now they want to see real change. Pakatan now has the power, vested onto them by the rakyat, to make changes in the states they rule. Similarly, with the BN at the federal level.
Malaysians are now aware that ultimately, power to push through change lies in their hands; some of them feel they will be doing Pakatan a disservice if they were to uncritical of the coalition lest over time it morphs into a BN Lite.
Over in Selangor, state exco member Elizabeth Wong, now the victim of a malicious attempt to smear her reputation, has taken a firm stand against steep hill-slope development projects and environmental degradation. Her strong stand would have antagonised powerful interests in Selangor – but she acted in the interest of the people.
Likewise, the rest of Pakatan Rakyat must always act in the people’s interest to safeguard the environment and public safety.
Hi Anil,
Thanks for the photos – photos do tell more than a 1000 words!
Let’s hold the MPPP to its words that no more steep (more than 35 degrees) slope project is going to be approved. Let’s go further to get the State Govt to extend this MPPP move to cover the whole state.
Can some NGO come up with costing/financial implications (to the govt) if those Class 3 and 4 projects approved by the previous govt were to be stopped? The current State Govt should go through their records to see whether any terms or procedure were not followed to allow the govt to declare such approval as ‘illegal’. Also, were there any vested interest involved in the approval of such projects!
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Anil, protest and threatened PR government for BN’s doing? BN set fear next to their door. Do the wise thing, move. Prime address means nothing if life is endangered.
Move? Who? The developer or the residents? – Anil
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It is already too late to stop the projects. If you stop it now, the slopes are going to be left unprotected and the erosion would worsen. If we discouraged people from buying the units, the developer is going to slow down, cut cost or whatever…and that is bad news too. It needs to continue, and that is just too bad, because the slopes need to be protected.
Next time, we need to protest and stop these projects before it starts. One example is the Solok Tan Jit Seng hillslope project. Once it starts, and the trees are cut down the slopes are exposed, and remedial actions need to be taken.
IN SIMPLE ENGLISH, NIP IT IN THE BUD.
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Hi, Anil, thks for pics. May I know is that Surin project by
Bolton. Recently, they just had a sale promotion at Gurney Plaza
and i did ring them up but of course, they said, it is ok.
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Anil, it is Tanjung Bungah and not Tanjung Bungah.
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We have to stop the projects there. The existing residents there are more important than the developers or coming projects. They were there first and their lives and properties should not be endangered. Put pressure on PR to stop these projects. Otherwise, what’s the difference between PR and BN. BTW, why is the present state so quiet about all this?
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Agree that it is impossible to stop the project now. Just look at the pictures. These slopes are totally exposed and would need protection. We are lucky that it is not the rainy season now, but imagine in a few months time.
Where were the residents when the project started? Where were Andrew or George or Peter or Leanne or Ambiga or Leong or Terry or Mary??
Typical Malaysian mentality..we have lots of hindsight but no foresight……..
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I am sure I have confidence that PR Govt should not be subjected to this. Like everyone says here, soil erosion will definitely occur if these projects are left abandoned. The previous Govt had given these developers the green light and all docs pertaining to it is already signed, so who’s to blame. However, Mr Lim Guan Eng, please do something about this. This project is nothing compared to the confidence we have in PR Govt. You are doing the best in Penang. Let this be another feather to your cap.
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Why should PR pay for something done by BN and its cronies.
The project was sanctioned and approved by Koh’s BN government and if PR were to withdraw the approval and cancel the project they will be taken to court. You and I know who the court will decide in favour of which will mean that the PR run Penang will be made to pay the compensation for the sins of BN’s past.
Besides the BN government left the state in a near bankrupt state and is further attempting to sabotage the Penang govt buy with holding development funds as well as apporovals at Federal level. Like the Airport extension; water supply Penang Bridge and Tourism related projects as well as other upgrade of Penang attempted by the PR Government.
That is the reason why the PR Government is in a hurry to eliminate BN at the Federal level because at the Federal level BN can cause untold damage to Pakatan led states preventing them from running these states in the manner that the rakyat want them to run.
BN must be got rid of at the Next General election for this country to prosper so that all citizens of this country could prosper as well irrespective of race creed or colour.
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This is not the work of one year or two. While I’m condemning such disgraceful act to ‘rape’ the hill, but shall we blame current govt?
To the protesters, if you’re really a natural hills lover and environmental conscious, where were all of you when Coastal Tower, Marina Tower, Strait Regency were built? Bolton’s project is not the first project at that area. Why all of you suddenly appear now? More ridiculous is you can see lot of Coastal Tower’s residents also part of the protesters, WHY? Is it becos of dangerous hillslope development or yr beautiful view has been blocked?
Don’t you all realize, the apartments/condos you all stayed now also part of the culprits?
Why not even a single shadow carrying a placard protesting when BN governed the state for many decades and most importantly APPROVED the project?
While such hillslope development must be condemned, no doubt about that but not to the extent of threathening the current state govt is ridiculous. Do you all think current Penang govt’s coffers is fat enough to compensate the developer? Think about it. A wiser move will be try to work with the current govt to find solution, rather than use threathening tactic.
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Eh, cukup la sudah bosan ni!
I can only deduce that developers are working over time making the same comments over and over and over again!
Take it from Tok Bomoh ni — these hillside projects are cursed. Count your losses and just abandon project now before you get in any deeper. Being responsible for another Antarabangsa is no fun you know.
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Anil,
Amongst one of the protesters (I won’t say who except a local resident) who went to protest, protested not so much she was worried about the hill slope development.
She went there because when she bought her property there, she was told that her view would not be blocked by new high rises. She was told that only bungalows would be built on the slopes in questions.
When the property changed hands and the new owners decided to build high-rise instead, she protested. As she put it, nothing to do with security but being cheated of a view!
I would recommend checking further the real reasons before you champion their cause! Take it from an old man who has seen a lot in my lifetime, things are not what they seem all the time!
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Chee Seng residents, I also pity on you all but if you use general election to fulfill your request is stupid. If you vote for BN in 2013, do you think the BN goverment will change its policy. Work Minister has told you that BN goverment will continue carry on hill site development. Didn’t you get the message? Umno is behind all these issues. Money…..Money
Chee Seng residents, you should go to the developer office to protest your displeasure and educate potential buyers to boycott this hill site development. Chee seng residents, don’t be so selfish. More than 90% of penangite need state goverment fund to ride on the economic turmoil. If this issue become court case and state goverment lost the case, who’s is going to pay this hefty penalty….Are chee seng residents going to pay it?
Lim Guan Eng also need to play a vital role in discouraging the hill site development. He should make a stand that any future hill site development should not approved. I think he get the message already.
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i would suggest we champion the cause of nature and the hills instead, put aside those people already living there, the hill development must stop.
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Maybe the previous Tanjung Bungah state assemblyman Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon should explain this…
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We have too many politicians who pay lip service to what they believe. Even for this Elizabeth Wong who claimed to be an environmentalist with ambition to change how the government is being run. Upon assuming the exco with portfolio in dealing with environmental, she simply has no time to sit down and plan for any thing environmental. The only thing she is interested is to follow Wan Azizah running around. She should be made assistant to Wan Azizah than an exco. Sorry for being critical to her at the time she is suffering from the Nude pix scandal. Just feel amazed when she suddenly came out with strong stand on hill slope development. We not only need people with the right stand we also need people with the will to change, with the desire to work for change, not pay lip service to change. Proposals sent to her for her to look into environmental issues especially on landfills and solid waste management issues are not being attended to. She will feel sorry, one day after she is force to quit, for not being able to do anything concrete for change. To me she is just another sampah exco good for nothing, wasted and stupid in a way!
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Pakatan politicians think that they have 5 years to run the states. Reality is they only have a single day to do the work. Elizabeth for example with the kind of problem she face now, one may wonder how she going to do anything good for environmental. She wasted all available opportunities given to her, she never take the time to study all the proposals sent to her, just ask her assistant who know nut about environmental issues to deal with all the lobbyists. End of the day the best she can do is to sit on the proposals.
Now with her days numbered, wonder how she going to change how the government is being run?
Do I need to feel sorry for her. No! She better learn to feel sorry for herself. With her days numbered, I just wonder whether she will now seriously sit down and look into each and every proposals that all the lobbyists sent to her and do something better for the people before she quit for good.
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So George Aeria is hopping mad because he is directly sleeping at the foothill of this dangerous slope. What is wrong with that? The lady’s condominium is sitting on a slope which is only a mere ten feet from the blasting and escavation; another is afraid that her property price might drop; another her view. So what is wrong with all that? To a large extent everyone has their own backside to take care of isn’t it? So what is wrong with that?
THE POINT IS THE DANGER IS REAL, AND LIFES ARE AT STAKE. And, Anil can see that, just as I dare say he can see through the people who are using him as a means to serve their own selfish ends.
Why can’t we look through all these just like Anil and just focus on the fact that unsafe hill slope developments are disasters in the making? It may be Tanjung Bungah, it may be anywhere else on the island. The point is if the government does not take any meaningful action, be it this project or any other, then it is clear that LimGuanEng is holding hands with the developers — can la, what also can la, no problem la , collapse, collapse la — itu belakang kira. Lifes only ma, not my children not my family! Aiya, maybe collapse also good la, then can continue to have ammunition to whack Gerakan.
Look at the existing hillslope condos in Tanjung Bungah and other places They are disasters waiting to happen. Those responsible for approving plans and giving out CFs will be criminals of the first degree when the hill slopes give way. Antarabangsa residents failed to look. I am sure the signs were all there as they are in Tanjung Bungah right now.
The satellite picture may be 4 years old is scary enough.
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Forget the innuendos and hidden agendas and the developers who leave their comments.
Fact: since Highland Towers, about 20 major landslides have taken lives, limbs and properties. That averages out to more than one each year! And considering that we’re building more and more, the statistics aren’t going to get better.
Why don’t we get similar statistics for other engineer-designed projects; why aren’t building towers collapsing at similar rate, one each year?
That’s because geotechnics is a very imprecise science. It is a science of many assumptions, and very, very costly to implement. Slopes have to contend with ever-changing variables [weathering, drainage, water-saturation, chockage to channels, damage, etc].
Maintenance of projects on slopes is as vital as the initial construction itself. This has never been understood by the authorities. All this talk about emulating Hong Kong… well, Hong Kong spends about half a billion each year on maintenance works. That’s enough to pay off all the developers and settle the lawsuits LGE is worried about.
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If the developers advertise tall buildings on slope, you Penangites must be a hero and yet stupid to rush and buy them. If there is no demand, the developer will either abandon the project or turn them into other worthwhile buildings.
We should really sit and examine the project was approved under which Government rather than start to pin point. As we know, any project takes time to get a DA approval and then a BA approval – years. If they are approved fast, then it may be fishy.
Since the project is ongoing, the local council should impose additional construction requirements such as sediment control and slope stability monitoring.
The another greatest fear is earthquake as Penang is ver close to the earthqauke faults in Sumatra.
As for E. Wong who resigned, I was really surprise if she is a active EXCO and enviromentalist. She did not say anything about the the pig farming in Selangor but allow DAP to take all the blame and shots.
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I specifically came to Tg Bungah and bought a house in 1976 and have lived here since 1986. I was proud to be a Tg Bungah resident until super condos mauled our beaches and multi-million Ringgit houses destroyed our hillslopes. I hope the Pakatan govt will not approve any new projects of these kind. What had been done by the previous is understandably very difficult to undo.
A lot of people who bought condos/houses on hillslopes are now protesting the new projects. What IRONY!
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LOL….
If BN give permit to developers to build hill slopes houses/apartments – BN Jahat, BN Zalim, BN destroy forest etc..
When PR gives out permit to developers to build hill slopes houses/apartments – Blame BN, BN legacy, PR are angels, Bring cash to the state, good idea, it is impossible to stop the project, bla bla bla
Hypocrite or what?
LOL….
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