It was a surprise to some residents of Permatang Damar Laut when their MP said he had not been informed by the Penang state authorities of a plan to build a big water storage tank and a pump house on the community’s football field.
The tank and pump house are supposed to supply water to the artificial island being created in waters off the southern coast of Penang Island.
Some 500 residents attended a ‘dialogue’ session with the Balik Pulau land office and their elected representatives on 8 September.
At the dialogue, Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said he had only heard about the plan about three weeks ago. He immediately requested the land office to arrange this dialogue session with the residents at the football field, which was being grabbed from youths who had used it since 1977.
Sim stressed that all projects affecting the people should only be carried out after consulting residents. The Penang state assembly member for Batu Maung, Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid, who is the First Deputy CM of Penang, agreed.
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Both the elected representatives threw their support behind the residents, who strongly voiced their objections to Gamuda’s plan to ‘grab’ the football field for the water tank and pump house. They gave an undertaking that they would make strong representations to the various committees to leave the football field untouched.
The Penang Structure Plan 2030 makes it mandatory to provide open spaces for recreation at a ratio of 10% of the total housing area of a community.
This football field is the only open space in this area and is less than the 10% requirement. Yet it is being ‘grabbed’.
Sim emphasized the need for consulting affected people before making decisions. This the state authorities apparently failed to do this.
The modus operandi appears to be to make decisions quietly and implement them. When affected people realise what is going on and raise questions, well, it might be too late and project implementation would remain.
This kind of development does not benefit Penang residents, many of whom are ratepayers. Rather, it is rather a form of oppression in the name of ‘development’.
It also smacks of high-handedness in planning, in apparent disregard of the Town and Country Planning Act about the importance of prior public consultations before any project approval (as Sim observed). This disdain for the law, if true, is abhorrent.
The importance of prior public consultation in planning was stressed by the Federal Court in its judgment in Perbadanan Pengurusan Sunrise Garden Kondominium v Sunway City (Penang) Sdn Bhd & Ors and Another dated 20 January 2023. If a proposed ‘development’ project does not go down well with the local community, even if the project complies with building laws, it should not proceed against their wishes.
All planning authorities should honour this judgment without anyone having to take them to court to compel them to honour it.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
