BN assemblyman retracts land reclamation motion following similar motion by DAP

GEORGE TOWN: A Barisan Nasional assemblyman retracted his motion to cancel the land reclamation project at the south of Penang island at the eleventh hour.
Muhd Farid Saad (BN-Pulau Betong), yesterday withdrew the motion he submitted for debate during the last day of the state assembly sittings.
He said reason of him withdrawing motion was to accommodate the emergency motion tabled by state Local Government, Traffic and Flood Mitigation committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow (pix).
He said he discovered similar amendments tabled by the state government when he submitted the motion to Speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang.
Law then allowed the motion to be withdrawn and gave the green light for Chow to present his motion.
Chow then expressed concerns over the project involving 4,500ha of reclamation involving the three artificial islands to fund the cost of Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
" It is important the project only starts until Detailed Environment Impact Assessment (DEIA) is given the green light by authorities ," he said.
In the motion, he said, the report would also have to be reviewed by the Penang Transport Council (PTC).
He added the motion also include that the state government would look for other alternatives to fund the PTMP.
The motion was then passed unanimously during the sittings.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, when met outside state assembly, said the opposition pact stance remained the same all this while in which the project will not be carried out until DEIA is given.
Speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang, meanwhile, expressed gratitude to the leaders from both sides.
He said he lauded the consensus made by both sides in the interest of the people.
"It is a historic moment in the state assembly," he said, adding that it also shows mature democracy in handling differences.