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GEORGE TOWN – Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said there is no need to debate over the Penang South Islands (PSI) project as it has gone through a long process of up to eight years before successfully obtaining Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA) approval on April 11.
He said the process involved stakeholders, public notifications, and other processes before obtaining the approval.
“Any disputes, questions, or answers regarding the PSI project have passed, even DoE (Environment Department) and all technical agencies have also set conditions – and if the state government cannot comply with the conditions, then the Environmental Management Plan will not be approved.
“If it can be approved, it means that it (the PSI project) has gone through a thorough examination by all departments, (as only) then can the DoE issue a decision with all conditions being complied with,” he said after attending the launch of Penang’s Wesak Day celebration here today.
He was commenting on a statement by Penang Perikatan Nasional chief Datuk Dominic Lau, who is also Gerakan president, challenging Chow to debate the development of PSI and Seberang Prai.
According to Chow, the state government’s current focus is on preparation for the implementation of the PSI project for sea reclamation processes.
“Next week, I will announce what we propose in the PSI, especially on Island A, that is our focus at the moment,” he said.
He said if any party is not satisfied with the implementation of the project, they can take the matter to court.
“Let’s look ahead, if he (Lau) didn’t take part in the process before this, I can’t say anything because this process has passed, maybe he wants to take it to court, that’s his right. But at this stage, there is no need (to debate), everyone is busy preparing for the (state) election,” he said.
On Wednesday Chow announced that the EIA for the PSI project had received conditional approval from the federal DoE in a letter dated April 11, which was based on 71 conditions stipulated, including the implementation of the project’s Social Impact Management Plan.
PSI is a project to develop three man-made islands over an area of 1,700ha in the waters of Permatang Damar Laut near Bayan Lepas, but the project received objections over the years from the fishing community and environmental non-governmental organisations because it would allegedly damage the marine ecosystem. – Bernama, April 30, 2023