THE Penang state government is open to valid criticisms but will not allow minority voices to impose themselves on the majority voices, according to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
Speaking at the Datok Keramat and Jelutong Deepavali Open house hosted by Datok Keramat assemblyman Jagdeep Singh and Jelutong MP R.S.N. Rayer, Chow said the voices of the minority could be taken into account but their criticisms must be justified for the government to see what could be changed.
“Although we say we’re an open and transparent government, there is a bottom line listening to opposition and objection.
“That is the principle of a democratic governance society. There is always a limit that a government would impose upon themselves,” Chow said at the function held at the Methodist Boys’ School today.
“I can listen to you until this line and I can consider changing guidelines or making adjustments to policies. If your suggestion is good for society and save the government money, that is most important, and we will consider.
“But beyond that, those who said don’t build any more houses, we don’t need this, we don’t need that, I want to ask them whether they can stop population growth. If they can stop the population from growing, then maybe what we have now is sufficient.”
Chow said the population in Penang has grown from 0.7 million in 1990 to 1.77 million in 2018 and by the end of 2019, it could reach 1.8 million.
“Since 1990, there have been a lot of changes in Penang, especially in terms of physical development and social development. It is always a struggle to meet the needs of the people because Penang has very limited land.
“Almost 70% of Penang island is considered hilly, forest land and that under the stringent development guideline that we are using now, we respect the guidelines and ensure that development will be sustained while taking into consideration the ecological environmental impact of any projects.”
Also present at the Open House were Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and his wife Betty Chew, Gurmit Kaur (wife of the late Karpal Singh), Chow’s wife Tan Lean Kee, MBS Board of Governors’ chairman Khoo Cheok Sin, MBS principal Lau Chong Beng, Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh, Batu Lancang assemblyman Ong Ah Teong, Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Daniel Gooi, Pulau Tikus assemblyman Lee Chun Kit, representatives of some developers, NGOs and JKKK members.
Jagdeep, in his speech, commended Chow for a historic maiden Budget 2019 speech on Nov 9, describing it as a forward-looking budget.
“The thrust of his speech is to embrace change and get ready for the future. Despite what the soothsayers say, the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) is a necessity because the people are suffering traffic congestion,” said Jagdeep.
“Even the Penang International Airport has already surpassed its maximum capacity of 6.5 million arrivals with close to 8 million this year.
“The state is preparing for even beyond the Penang 2030 Vision envisaged by the chief minister. He (Chow) is thinking of 50 years (ahead). We’ll be doing a study on an entirely new airport in Penang.”
Citing Singapore as an example, Jagdeep said there was no Changi Airport 30 years ago but it was built on reclaimed land and is now one of the best airports in the world.
Jagdeep, who is also the state Housing, Local Government and Town and Country Planning Committee chairman, said the state would pursue federal funds for housing projects as it was neglected for the last two terms.
“We should be given priority because not one PPR unit was built in Penang. Now, with the change of the federal government, the Housing Ministry has let the Penang government monitor PPR projects and I warn the developers that they must abide by the time line.”
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud
Video by Ahmad Adil Muhamad