Seri Tanjung Pinang Phase 2 and tunnel: Why is BN silent now?

The BN has failed to live up to its role as a watchdog to oversea major developments in the state: its stoic silence on Phase 2 of the detailed EIA is glaring. But why the silence?

One possibility is that a federal GLC, Sime Darby Berhad, has taken a 32 per cent interest in E & O Berhad. So Penang BN is unlikely to want to mess around with a federal GLC’s vested interest. (Who knows what other federal interest there is.)

The other possibility stems from the fact that Phase 2 of Seri Tanjung Pinang is intricately linked to the tunnel project. (E & O is supposed to hand over more than 100 acres of super-prime reclaimed land to the Penang state government, which in turn will hand it over to the tunnel developer, Zenith Consortium BUCG, as “compensation” for financing the feasibility study, design and construction of the tunnel).

Before the general election, Penang Gerakan was highly vocal against the land-for-tunnel swap deal, turning it into a major election issue.

For instance, just before GE13, The Star reported:

Gerakan is questioning the rationale behind the Penang Government move of giving away 44ha of reclaimed land in Tanjung Pinang to a consortium here as payment for the four planned infrastructure projects totalling RM6.3bil.

But post-GE13, it was a different story. Penang Umno raised eyebrows by supporting the tunnel, saying it would actually be an “added attraction” for the state (despite conceding it could lead to to increasing congestion and degradation of the marine ecology).

The Star reported:

State opposition leader Datuk Jahara Hamid (Teluk Air Tawar) said the state Barisan “tidak bantah” (had no objections) to the proposed project

She said it would be an added attraction in the state as it will be the first of its kind in the country.

“However, I urge the state government to implement a comprehensive plan to ease the traffic congestion on the island first before completion of the tunnel,” she said when debating the motion of thanks to the Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas’ opening address at the state assembly yesterday.

Jahara also urged the state to look into the possible impact the project might cause to offshore fishermen in Bagan Ajam.

“The project would affect the marine ecology and thus, the livelihood of the fishermen will also be affected,” she added.

But I don’t see Penang BN taking up the cause of the Tanjung Tokong fisherfolk, when they are so quick to rush forward on other smaller issues.

Since Jahara’s statement, the other component parties of the BN have largely fallen into line. In so doing, they are failing to live up to their role as a credible opposition group (though, needless to say, it was the Penang BN that gave away the reclamation rights for a pittance in the 1990s.)

But that doesn’t mean the detailed EIA should be a mere formality. Neither does it mean the state government should trot out its usual defeatist stance – that it would have to pay compensation if the project does not proceed – when confronted with a controversial gigantic project that could have huge environmental and financial implications. (Think of the dredging cost the Penang state government will have to bear after five years, as stated in the EIA report.)

This is the problem with swap deals of this nature: one project cannot be assessed properly in isolation without thinking of how it will affect the other project. What more when both projects are controvesial.

Meanwhile, Penang civil society activists are scrambling to get hold of a copy of the detailed EIA to come up with a proper response. They have not been helped by the limited time of the public display and the lack of prominent notice and a proper public display venue easily visible to the public.