PETALING JAYA: Gamuda Bhd has slammed critics of the Penang South Island (PSI) project, saying their calls for it to be scaled down or scrapped reflects the “scant regard for the integrity of the due process”.
Gamuda also promised to help affected fishermen increase their income in the short-term and to prepare them for the job opportunities arising from the long-term project.
The company said it could understand the indignation of its service centre staff who frequently witnessed “self-anointed NGO personalities whizzing through the site in two hours” and then appearing in media outlets the next day to rebuke the project and “pouring out their sympathy for the fishermen”.
Gamuda is the majority shareholder of SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd which is undertaking the PSI reclamation work.
Noting that several parties were not satisfied with the decision to approve the reclamation project, Gamuda stressed that its environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval was secured following a stringent and professional process starting in 2021.
Stating that the EIA included two “public displays to gather public feedback” and a series of technical review meetings, Gamuda said over 4,000 comments were registered during the public display process. It said “an overwhelming 93%” of these public comments were positive.
“The clamour for the project to be scaled down or even scrapped by parties uneasy or unhappy with the approval decision reflects the scant regard for the integrity of the due process and even the rule of law underlying it,” the company said in a statement.
“What are the implications for the approval process of future development projects?”
It also asked if foreign investors would be “more reassured and undeterred from investing in our country” because of what had transpired.
It said in approving the PSI project, the authorities had taken into consideration the concerns of the environmentalists and the “anti-development” lobby and balanced that with the well-being of the communities in the vicinity of the project.
According to Gamuda, the PSI project had secured a social impact assessment approval rating of 79.1% from the local community and the support of 74.8% of the local fishermen.
Gamuda said according to independent consultants, 63% of the fishing community in the south coast of Penang island had a monthly income of between RM1,000 and RM2,000. It said it was determined to improve their livelihoods by immediately improving their catch and that together with the Penang government, it was providing larger boats with bigger engines.
It hoped to eventually prepare these fishermen for the job opportunities arising from the long-term project. Gamuda said it had identified 550 marine-related jobs for the local workforce, from seafaring work to being crew members of the sand dredgers.
“We are now developing the training modules to be used as part of the ‘on-the-job training’ to ensure their fitness for the purpose,” said Gamuda.
“In the longer term over the next 20 years, thousands of jobs will also be available during the construction phase,” it said, adding that it planned to roll-out TVET courses for local youths as a pathway to uplift their livelihoods through better-paying jobs.
Last week, Penang decided to scale down the PSI project to just one island, after being urged to do so by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said the project would be reduced to 2,300 acres (about 931ha) on a single island south of the Penang International Airport runway, compared with the original plan of three islands measuring 4,500 acres (about 1,821ha).
However, some critics insist that the project should be entirely scrapped.
