GEORGE TOWN: Some 200 people, comprising fishermen and civil society members, staged another round of protest, against the proposed Penang Southern Reclamation (PSR) scheme. Armed with drums and trumpets, the group led by the Penang Fishermen Association president Nazri Ahmad, gathered at the Speakers Square along the Esplanade here.
The congregation which started to draw a crowd began at 9am. Two hours later, they marched to Dewan Sri Pinang to present a memorandum to the state legislative assembly who were tabling the Budget 2020.
Zahar Zainul, a state information officer, accepted the document on behalf of the state government.
In it, Nazri listed down 55 points which they hope will convince the state to think twice about the reclamation.
Penang plans to reclaim 1,820ha of land by way of three man-made islands where a large part of the sand used in the reclamation will be brought in from Perak and Seberang Prai.
Nazri said that the proposed sites are some of the most fertile areas for marine life in Penang, and to reclaim it from the sea would also disrupt the livelihood of fishermen there.
He proposed using other ways to carry out the proposed Penang Transport Master Plan without having to reclaim land as means to underwrite the project.
Nazri was joined by filmmaker Andrew Han and Penang Forum spokesperson Khoo Salma Nasution, who ruled that the state only needs one island, and not an additional three artificial ones, which would only threaten the fragile ecology of the surrounding area.
Khoo promised to fight against the reclamation project to the end and is confident that what the civil society is championing for is the best recourse.
Sustainable development and conservation are key in spearheading the era of climate change and changing weather patterns, said Khoo.
A state spokesperson when approached, said that Penang would study the proposals, but stressed that the master plan has already gone through various processes, including checks by the Department of Environment (DOE), considering its 70 stipulated conditions in the Detailed Environment Impact Assessment.
