Penang wants to be like Hong Kong and Singapore. Problem: its fishermen don’t

Malaysian state planning three-island land reclamation project that will rival Singapore’s Marina Bay and help fund US$11 billion overhaul of transport system

But on the environment, are Singapore and Hong Kong really such good examples to follow?

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Penang plans to create three islands totalling 1,800 hectares.

Published: 9:15am, 31 Mar 2019Updated: 12:15pm, 4 Apr 2019

Penang’s fisherman have long made their living from the rich, shallow waters around the island but a bid by the state government to emulate Singapore and Hong Kong with its biggest infrastructure project to date could throw their future into jeopardy.

Local fishermen have joined a growing number of civil and environmental activists opposed to a plan to ease congestion on the island and provide better links to the mainland side of Penang state, all funded by a three-island land reclamation project said to rival Singapore’s Marina Bay.

“It’s going to be a disaster if the state does not think this through,” said Nazri Ahmad, chairman of Persatuan Nelayan Pulau Pinang, the state’s fishermen association. Nazri warned the environmental impact of the reclamation project would decimate fish breeding grounds and hurt the livelihoods of the state’s fishermen and their crew – numbering about 6,000 people in all.

The Penang South Reclamation project was proposed to fund the 46 billion ringgit (US$11.2 billion) Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), which is aimed at shortening commuting times and attracting more foreign investment in the state of 1.7 million people.

Inspiration: Singapore’s Marina Bay. Photo: Getty Images

It includes a light rail transit line, an elevated highway that cuts through two public parks and tunnels through hills, a monorail and an undersea tunnel that will link Penang island to the mainland – providing an additional link to the two bridges that already exist.

The reclamation is part of a proposed deal with the project delivery partner of the PTMP, SRS Consortium, which is a joint venture between Gamuda Berhad, one of Malaysia’s largest infrastructure developers and two Penang developers.