Mr Chow reportedly said that the PSI reclamation project was mentioned in the coalition’s manifesto during the 15th General Elections (GE15) in 2022.
GE15 saw the coalition defend 10 out of 13 parliamentary seats in Penang, according to the Malay Mail. At the Balik Pulau parliamentary seat where the PSR project is located, PH won with a majority of 1,582 votes.
According to the New Straits Times (NST), Mr Chow noted that the state government did not see an erosion of support from the people over the reclamation project.
“In the 2022 general election, we did not see an erosion of support as well. We have laid this project out on the table during the 2018 and 2022 elections and the majority have decided,” the chief minister said.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Chow announced that Penang had finally obtained the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval for the PSI reclamation project.
He said that it came with 71 conditions to be fulfilled, adding that the state government is in the process of applying for the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) approval.
“It must be stressed that reclamation works will only start after the EMP approval is obtained. It is expected to begin in the third quarter of this year,” he said.
Mr Chow, who is also the Penang PH chairman, said that the coalition could not stop any party – either politicians or non-governmental organisations – from politicising the reclamation project.
“We have been very open about this project from the very beginning … We have nothing to hide,” he was quoted as saying by NST on Thursday.
The controversial project has been criticised by environmentalists and fishermen as being a potential environmental disaster.
They warned that the massive land reclamation project would harm the marine biodiversity, ruin a rich fishing ground and destroy the coastal fishing that has nurtured generations of fishermen and provided a vital food source for the people in Penang.
Source: CNA
