The Malaysian Insight did a series of articles on Penang recently, and as part of their journalistic work, they asked me what I thought about the civil society response to what is happening here. This is what I told them:
In the 2018 general election, the opposition parties in Penang received a drubbing and are either demoralised or ineffective now.
This is our “iconic” international airport at Pulau Pinang “Darul Banjir”. Let’s clear more hills, build and widen more roads, and pave paradise.
Let’s say they go ahead with that expensive RM8bn elevated LRT from the airport to George Town. Just think… passengers arriving at the airport can be transported by gondolas to the LRT station.
Imagine, we could turn Penang airport into something like St Mark’s Square at the Las Vegas Venetian Hotel and Casino, like this:
(That blue sky in the video is artificial. The whole set is indoors. Likewise, we can create a haze-free blue sky inside Penang airport.)
Then, while cruising in the elevated LRT heading to Komtar, (assuming the LRT can still move in the floods), passengers can enjoy a bird’s eye view of the panoramic Pearl of the Orient Venice of the East without getting their feet wet.
Just think how many more tourists will flock to Penang.
The latest statement from Penang Forum:
Penang Forum deeply regrets the tragic loss of lives in the Bukit Kukus landslide tragedy on 19 October 2018, which claimed nine or more lives, just one year after the Granito landslide tragedy, which claimed 11 or more lives.
A vigil in solidarity with the landslide victims was held at the Penang Town Hall this morning (see above) while inside the building the Penang Island City Council was holding its full council meeting. Later, three representatives from the vigil were allowed in to submit a memorandumto the major who said the council would also be probing the incident.
Disturbed by official comments in recent days, soil scientist Dr Kam Suan Pheng has sent in this commentary:
Some have described the politicians’ responses in trying to deflect the blame for the landslide down the line as “tai chi”. But a friend who practises tai chi told me that this ancient Chinese exercise for health of mind, body and spirit is too wholesome an activity to be used as an analogy for the blame game that is going on. So perhaps the elephant and the blindfolded men above might be a more apt depiction of the recent blinkered statements by those in positions of power.
The following is a response by Rexy Prakash Chacko, joint coordinator of Penang Hills Watch, a Penang Forum initiative, to recent quotes in a press report.
Another statement from Penang Forum:
It is with great sadness that Penang Forum is issuing this press statement about the Bukit Kukus landslide tragedy.
So… a body has been found, which was not listed as missing. What was he doing at the site? Was this an undocumented worker? And are there more who are missing? This raises the question of the status of workers in the construction industry.
Meanwhile, Penang Forum has just released this statement, warning that dangers still lurk at the Bukit Kukus landslide area. Did they really check for hidden streams in the area? And they still want to proceed with all these projects? What is driving them? Is it greed, pride, money or what? If an MPPP project can end up like this, how can we hope that the council can monitor other projects closely…
Aliran has just released this statement:
Aliran is appalled at the loss of workers’ lives in a landslide at the Bukit Kukus paired road construction site in Penang. The landslide brought down several containers and wooden shacks, claiming at least seven lives with another three victims still missing and injuring three people.
A group of Penangites held a vigil this evening for the workers who lost their lives in the Bukit Kukus landslide on Friday afternoon and the Tanjung Bungah landslide victims at the Granito construction site exactly a year ago.
So another landslide again in Penang.. this time about a dozen dead or missing at a construction site for the elevated Paya Terubong “paired road”.