GEORGE TOWN: Pertubuhan Badan Pemikir Melayu Pulau Pinang (Pemikir) has proposed to the Penang state government to review plans for the seawall project to develop three artificial islands under the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project for the benefit of fishermen.
Its chairman Datuk Dr Muhamad Farid Saad said the state government should instead think of the fate of the fishermen, especially those who earn a living by going to sea to catch fish as the PSR would dampen their future due to the long-term impact of the project's sea reclamation.
"Pemikir understands why fishermen feel that their future and that of future generations will be bleak because if it takes 10 years for the sea reclamation work, it will mean that they will have to bear the long-term effects much longer than 10 years.
"The compensation of RM20,000 per boat may seem high in the eyes of the state government (but actually) is much lower than the losses the fishermen have to suffer. Can they buy a boat no more than 30 feet long, an engine no more than 150 horsepower, a pulley for a trawler boat priced around RM80,000 with the RM20,000 being offered?" he said in a statement today.
He said that if the islands were built, fishermen would have to go further from shore to find fish or prawns and this would result in an increase in cost and, at the same time, the price of seafood would also be more expensive.
Muhamad Farid also rubbished claims that the area to be reclaimed did not have much seafood, especially prawns, saying they were fabricated to strengthen the argument in support of the project.
"Based on simple calculation and comparison, if now they only need RM5 worth of fuel to go out to sea to catch prawns which can be sold for RM100, once the three islands are ready, even if they were to spend RM100 on fuel, there is no guarantee they can get RM5 in sales," he said.
Previously, the Penang government said it would begin the process of re-submitting its environmental impact assessment (EIA) report of the seawall project to develop three artificial islands under the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project to the Department of Environment (DOE).
This was following three members of the DOE Appeals Board, led by Sessions Court judge Rozina Ayob, setting aside the EIA approval for the project. Two other members of the board are Prof Datuk Dr Mazlin Mokhtar and Associate Professor Dr Ramdzani Abdullah.
The decision was made following an appeal filed by Sungai Batu Fishermen Unit chief Zakaria Ismail, on July 29, 2019, under Section 35 (1) (e) of the Environmental Quality Act.
The PSR project covering 17 sq km involves the development of three man-made islands covering an area of 1,700 hectares in the waters off Permatang Damar Laut, near Bayan Lepas. which was introduced as a funding module of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) worth about RM46 billion. - Bernama