Media Statement
Dr Teng Hock Nan & the Millennium Plaza
It is absurd for Dr Teng Hock Nan to state that as the president he gave the go ahead since it did not involve council money.
It is high-handed on his part to claim that there is no issue of getting approval from the council committee.
It is self-serving to insist that the issue of any harm of archaeological significance did not arise.
First of all, did he have that kind of massive authority to ride roughshod over norms and procedures?
Second, is he an authority on archaeological research and findings to state with any measure of certainty that there would be no archaeological harm arising from this project?
Third, what harm would have been suffered if he had consulted the council committee or sought expertise from the Malaysia Archaeological Research Centre?
Fourth, it is far-fetched for Dr Teng to declare that "the plaza would be completed to serve as a focal point for the public to gather at the Esplanade."If he is a Penangite, then he should know that the Esplanade has always been a focal point for public gathering - the plaza won't make any difference to that fact.
P Ramakrishnan
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