‘Tea party’ against Tanjung Bunga hill-slope projects

Tanjung Bunga residents groups, alarmed by property development projects on steep hill-slopes, are coming together at the top of Jalan Chan Siew Teong in Chee Seng Gardens on Valentine’s Day to hold a ‘tea party’ from 4.00pm to 5.00pm

This message from the Tanjung Bunga Residents Association:

Even before the horrific landslide in Taman Antarabangsa, the residents of Chee Seng Gardens in Tanjong Bunga confronted the developers of a hillside construction project about an “accident waiting to happen”. A stop-work order was slapped on the construction site demanding that more retention ponds be built to avoid the floods that had frightened residents. Another stop-work order came later.

But after two weeks, such stop-work orders are lifted once the developers have complied. However, the steep hillside (over 35 degrees) still has plenty dangers: huge boulders need to be blasted, erosion is on-going and the walls between the construction site and the neighboring condos are far to thin to provide any real protection against landslides. More letters were sent and meetings with local authorities took place.

But the blasting and digging goes on. Several joint meetings of the condo residents associations, and the Chee Seng residents, supported by TBRA, have now decided to hold… peaceful no-confidence protest.

We call it a Tea Party and it will take place on:

14 Febr 2009 (YES, on Valentine’s Day)
from 4 to 5 pm
at the top of Jalan Chan Siew Teong
in Chee Seng Gardens *

We need you to be there in solidarity….

This is no longer a local issue, it is an opportunity to tell the new Penang government that the residents are fed up with dangerous hill slope development, that Tanjong Bunga has had enough high rises, enough deforestation, enough erosion. We don’t want any new construction on Class III (25-35 degrees) and Class IV (above 35 degrees) slopes.

At the meeting with the Chief Minister on 21 December he seemed to agree with our demands but was hiding behind the decisions of the old government and the fear to be sued. He announced the setting up of some kind of Authority to keep and eye on hillside hazards. Unless we show him that we mean business, matters may comfortably slip back onto the back burner with State and the MPPP closing their eyes and allowing developers to carry on.

We want commitments in writing, we want a clear ban on Class III and IV hill slopes, we want existing developments to stop unless they are proven safe (by independent engineers) and there is assurance that safety of exposed slopes is monitored by a highly competent hill slope committee also after the projects are finished.

So come join us at this Tea Party with banners and posters, with tea kettles (or old pots and pans) and bring wooden spoons…. (Why? You’ll see!)

Let the few unspoilt hills be your Valentines for an hour on that day.

*Enter Chee Seng from Tanjong Bunga village and drive uphill or take the road leading uphill opposite the floating Mosque. Come in jogging gear. Press has been invited. There is plenty of parking space.