GEORGE TOWN: The spate of mega-projects in Penang is driving citizens groups here to ask the new state government for local plans that have been long awaited for more than 20 years.
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Penang are saying that it is not enough for the state to have just a Structure Plan; the government must go beyond enforcing the Structure Plan, and draft local plans that are overdue.
To date, Penang has only one local plan - for Penang Hill - gazetted in 1997 following the popular people’s movement to protect the hill from development.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) coordinator Mohd Nizam Mahshar said locals plans were critical as the current Structure Plan, gazetted in June last year, does not adequately address the parameters for development in specific areas.
"The Structure Plan is very vague, and it is up for interpretation," he said.
Among other things, local plans would provide very specific details on matters like land-use, environmental protection, topographical preservation, development limits and traffic management.
"We have been pushing for the local plans for years. But there is no support at all from the municipal councils."
The Structure Plan hit the spotlight recently when Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng demanded that the previous administration explain why the zoning for the area slated for the RM25 billion Penang Global City Centre had been changed from "recreation" to "new development".
Following this, the Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) called on the government to also review approval for the billion-ringgit Gurney Paragon project along Gurney Drive which comprises two blocks of 43-storey buildings and a block of 37-storey building over-shadowing heritage buildings.
The PGCC Campaign Group, a coalition of NGOs that opposed the scale and design of the PGCC, has been lobbying for local plans since last year.
Nizam said the previous state administration may have dragged its feet on the matter as it had preferred to treat the whole island’s development through one master plan.
"The local plans are more specific in detail and therefore bring limitations to development projects," he said.
"Most people do not know that the structure and local plans are legally binding. Violators can be taken to court," he added.
Penang Heritage Trust president Dr Choong Sim Poey complained that it was very difficult to obtain specific information and updates on the progress of the local plans from the government.
He said it was critical for the authorities to confer and coordinate with citizens’ groups while preparing the plans so that their views and concerns are accounted for in the final drafts.
"We would like to ensure transparency and public consultation," he said.
"The NGOs have requested for information and for us to be allowed to participate. We are still awaiting response from the government," he added.
Datuk Anwar Fazal, a former assistant secretary of the the then state municipal council and co-founder of Transparency International, said mega-projects have been "parachuted" into neighbourhoods without public consultation and feedback.
He said the situation has made it imperative for the new government to actively pursue the local plans.
"These big projects needs to be carefully reviewed before they destroy our neighbourhoods," he said, adding that that there needed to be neighbourhood advisory councils which would ensure that projects approved were in line with the local plans.
Last week, speculation of significant crossovers to the Opposition gripped Parliament. But the real issues at stake for Sabah and Sarawak were blurred.
NERVES must have been jumping on Wednesday, the day when as many as 17 disgruntled Sabah MPs were expected to “jump ship???.
But the buzz fizzled out when it became apparent that the MPs were going to stay with the Barisan Nasional, this despite unveiled messages aired as early as the preceding week that several were ready to cross the floor to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
Without the basics: A squatter shack occupied by an urban-poor family in Miri. In Sarawak, only 30% of its people have access to treated water and only 65% of its towns have electricity. — Filepic
But PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was in fact away in Indonesia on that day and, as Prime Minister-in-waiting, “would not be able to receive them???, an aide pointed out on the eve.
But “saudara Anwar??? has set a new deadline for the crossover: Sept 16, the 45th anniversary of Malaysia Day, for maximum impact.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi swiftly moved to stem the tide by meeting individuals and groups in the run-up to D-day: Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee met him on Tuesday as did three Bidayuh MPs from Sarawak who, just a fortnight after the March election, had fleetingly threatened to walk out.
Somehow, despite not having anything concrete in hand, Datuk Richard Riot Jaem (Serian), Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit (Mambong) and Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe (Mas Gading) were talked out of their disenchantment.
Unfortunately, the anticipated defections overshadowed the real grouses aired by the MPs. Much of the unhappiness reverts to the famous 20-point agreement, the almost sacred treaty signed by the fathers of Malaysia.
Several of the points – such as head of state and language – have never been issues; others like immigration have been eroded in the 45 intervening years.
“Why are MPs making a noise? Because we want the Government to return to the spirit of the 20 points,??? said Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee.
The heart of the resentment stems from a feeling that the federal government is exercising two policies: one for the peninsula and another for Sabahans and Sarawakians.
Or as Kalabakan MP Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh put it bluntly: “We don’t want to be second-class citizens???.
Illegal immigrants were the primary complaint among Sabah MPs. They have raised it for countless years but it has fallen on deaf ears.
The first salvo was lobbed by Kimanis MP Datuk Anifah Aman, younger brother to Sabah Chief Minister who, in using the analogy of moving from a bungalow to a terrace house, said: “What’s the point of living in a bungalow if one has to sleep beside the toilet????
Offers of RM30,000 or RM50,000 mean nothing to this suave, cigar-puffing businessman.
“Don’t insult us,??? he told The Star. “It was never meant to blackmail the Government. I was only summarising the matters that are closest to Sabah hearts.???
“Before the next election, something has to be done. Why was it so easy to set up a Judicial Appointments Commission and a Malaysian Commission on Anti-Corruption? Why not a Commission on Illegal Immigrants????
Roads are also a priority. In Sabah, less than 50% of the roads are tarred. It is worse in Sarawak where in semi-rural Julau, for instance, only about 30% of the population enjoy surfaced roads. Another 50% bump along laterite roads and 20% to 30% still resort to the rivers.
It is the same story with electricity and water. Only 65% of the towns have electricity. In the interior, 30% to 40% have to manage on their own generator sets.
In Sabah, only 60% to 65% have treated water; in Sarawak, the figure drops to 30%.
In towns, people get piped water the colour of “teh susu??? (tea with milk), said Ghapur.
For this reason, Sabah and Sarawak MPs would have been satisfied with two crucial portfolios – “minister of JKR and Rural Development???, as Ghapur put it.
Sabahans are insulted at being “put in charge of museums and clouds???, he added, referring to Datuk Shafie Apdal and Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili respectively. Ideally, he wants four important ministerial portfolios so that the state can shape Cabinet thinking.
Ghapur gave an ultimatum for Abdullah to reshuffle his Cabinet within six months or, at the very latest, by the end of the year. “Without Sabah and Sarawak’s 54 seats, the Barisan would not have been able to form a simple majority.???
He pointed out that “one particular state has seven ministers; another state that had lost has four ministers???, referring elliptically to Johor and Selangor respectively. By comparison, Sabah has three and Sarawak has seven deputy ministers.
SAPP’s Yong took an even tougher stance – an August deadline.
RM3bil had been set aside for education under the 9MP, 18% of which is to go to Sabah, noted Kiandee. “But is that an allocation that can narrow the gap between peninsular and Sabah schools? You must look at the effect of the cumulative years, between well-equipped Selangor schools and schools in Sabah.???
“Quality is just as important as quantity,??? said Deputy Minister of Energy, Water and Communications Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum. “To be fair to the Government, there are enough schools,??? adding that his Julau constituency has 43 primary schools. “But I have yet to see the target of 20 students achieving 5As in UPSR per year. I know because I hand them RM500 each as an incentive.???
The figures tell stories of poverty. When Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department S.K. Devamany cited a national poverty index of 3.7%, Sabah MPs leapt up. Sabah suffers a poverty rate of 23% – or even worse in the interior.
All this might be resolved if Sabah earned more in oil royalties, suggested Ghapur. He proposed that the oil royalty be raised from 5% to 20%, one of the promises Anwar had made in his 2008 election manifesto.
But away from Parliament, Parti Rakyat Sarawak president Datuk Seri Dr James Masing said: “He (Anwar) can talk. Our oil reserves will finish in four years. Unless we find new oil fields, it’s gone.???
On the sidelines, Sarawak MPs maintained a more dignified reserve.
“It’s good that they voice it,??? said Salang. “Sarawakians by nature are not so outspoken.???
On May 13, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan sedately came out in support of the anti-hop law.
As president of the once-beleaguered Parti Bersatu Sabah, Pairin had been a prime victim of party hoppers who had defected to a cluster of smaller Sabah parties that exist today.
In 1992, the High Court had ruled that the law was unconstitutional as it contravened Article 10 of the Federal Constitution on freedom of association.
Amendments to that law require a two-thirds majority before it can be adopted by Parliament and, at present, neither side has the numbers.
The floor was awash with talk of money being dangled. But it is not Ringgit that will spur the jump – it will be deep frustrations.
Threat of defections to the opposition not over yet, There is still a wait-and-see attitude after Sabah MPs meet Abdullah By Carolyn Hong, THE STRAITS TIMES Saturday, 17 May 2008
THE Wednesday deadline has come and gone, but the topic of Barisan Nasional MPs defecting to the opposition is still the hottest topic in town. There were strong rumours that at least 17 BN MPs from Sabah were planning to cross over to the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat last Wednesday - but it didn't happen.
The day passed peacefully, but this came after a lot of behind-the-scenes and overtime effort by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.
He obviously did not take the threat lightly as he spent much of the week meeting the heads of the Sabah BN partners to listen to their woes. And he bought his government time.
The Sabah MPs have been unhappy after Datuk Seri Abdullah did not increase their representation in Cabinet after the state delivered a sterling performance in the March 8 polls.
Their grouses burst into the open this week when several BN MPs from Sabah spoke up in Parliament about the neglect of their state, and dropped heavy hints about a crossover.
The imminent threat had fizzled out. But the danger for Datuk Seri Abdullah and the BN is not over, merely defused, wrote political commentator Joceline Tan in The Star yesterday.
There is widespread belief that Datuk Seri Anwar has secured a significant number of MPs, but the general view is that he probably does not have enough.
'Politically, I would think that he would have done it very quickly if he has the numbers,' said Mr Khoo Kay Peng, a political analyst.
Still, all kinds of numbers are still being bandied about, anything from 17 to 43.
The opposition coalition needs at least 30 BN MPs to cross over to topple the federal government, but analysts say the crossovers may not be simple as pure numbers.
For one, there have to be enough Malay-Muslim MPs to keep a fair ethnic balance in the opposition, to stave off the perception that Datuk Seri Anwar's coalition was taking power without equitable Malay representation.
It does not appear that he has enough Malay MPs on board, according to opposition sources.
This is supported by the steady ratcheting up of the Malay rhetoric in recent weeks.
Datuk Seri Anwar has blamed Umno for raising the temperature, saying that it was a panicky move. It was a way to lay the ground for painting the opposition as one that would not have Malay interests at heart.
The other possible sticky point is that the crossovers could unbalance the delicate opposition coalition. At present, the three parties have roughly the same number of MPs each, although Datuk Seri Anwar is seen as the de facto head.
Most of the crossover MPs are likely to join his Parti Keadilan Rakvat, given his involvement in bringing them over. This would put PKR in a dominant position.
'There are concerns within DAP about this. We don't want to be sidelined,' a insider from the Democratic Action Party told The Straits Times, but also noting that the party did not want to remain in opposition permanently.
But a solution was offered earlier this week when Umno MP from Sabah Ghapur Salleh suggested that a new political party could be set up for the defecting Sabah MPs.
It could then become the fourth party in the opposition coalition.
'We can move by simply forming a new party. Then we can decide where we want to sit...here or there,' Datuk Ghapur said in Parliament earlier this week.
This is increasingly becoming the likely scenario to address the power balance within the opposition coalition, if it were to absorb a large number of defecting MPs.
But even without the tricky negotiations within the opposition, a crossover is not quite a done deal.
There is still a wait-and-see attitude after Datuk Seri Abdullah's meeting with the Sabah party leaders. They have asked for greater representation in the Cabinet, more autonomy in the state, and a resolution of the illegal immigration problem.
They are also demanding that Sabah get 20 per cent of the oil royalties, up from the present 5 per cent.
A Sabah party leader Yong Teck Lee said this week that they want to see action by August.
Said political analyst Mr Khoo: 'This is the last window for the Prime Minister to do something. If he can address it well, he might survive. But it's very tricky.'
PUTRAJAYA: Another president of a Sabah Barisan Nasional component party has sounded the alarm bell over the “very real??? possibility of crossovers.
United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said the frustrations of Sabahans and their representatives in getting the Federal Government to solve their long list of problems are “extremely real??? and talk about MPs crossing over to join the Opposition is symptomatic of this frustration.
He said the longstanding issues affecting Sabahans could no longer be “swept under the carpet??? and MPs were under a lot of pressure to resolve the people’s problems.
Any decision for Upko to leave the Barisan fold will be made by the party and not by him, Dompok stressed to the press yesterday.
He said that while Upko’s three other MPs had not raised the subject of leaving the party “at the moment,??? he admitted: “Their frustrations are real. I think no one can deny it???.
When asked if any of the Upko MPs, including himself, had been approached by the Opposition leaders, Dompok replied: “Not yet as far as I know.
“But if these people (from Pakatan Rakyat) want to talk to me in Parliament, there is no reason why I should not talk to them.???
He said there were still many issues, among them immigration and basic infrastructure, waiting to be resolved in Sabah.
“The people of Sabah have been taken for granted because we are a laidback, easy-going people. The state is thousands of kilometres away from the nation’s capital. As they say, out of sight, out of mind,??? he said.
Dompok said constituents in Sabah have always been vocal but failed to grab the media’s attention until “recent changes in the political environment???.
To a question, he said that the majority of the grassroots wanted action and they would not mind if their MPs crossed over as long as their problems were ironed out.
“There are people who condemn crossovers, saying that it is immoral and such. But who are they and why are they taking the moral high ground, when in their previous lives, they too, have done it.
“But if you ask me, I don’t think the Opposition will make the numbers,??? he said.
PETALING JAYA: The anti-hopping law should be drafted and a new provision inserted into the Federal Constitution, Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar proposed.
He said it was about time an anti-hopping law was introduced, and likened MPs jumping to another party as breaching the trust of voters.
“The EC has never discussed this issue, and feels there is no need to do so, but in my personal opinion, if we look at the purpose and objective of the elections, it is a rational move to provide a law to prevent party-hopping,??? he told The Star’s Malay news portal mStar Online.
Wan Ahmad said a special provision could be included in the Federal Constitution to get around Article 48(6).
Article 48(6) of the Constitution states that a person who resigns his membership of the House of Representatives shall, for a period of five years beginning with the date on which his resignation takes effect, be disqualified from being a member of the House of Representatives.
“If the Government is serious, we can insert a new provision in the Constitution, noting that Articles 113 to 120 touch on many aspects relating to elections.???
Wan Ahmad said Article 48(6) was introduced to prevent wakil rakyat from resigning and recontesting just to test their popularity.
“Therefore, a subsection related to the behaviour of MPs and state assemblymen can be included, like the Government taking action to prevent elected representatives from resigning to test their popularity,??? he said.
Wan Ahmad acknowledged that there were views that having an anti-hopping law contravened the freedom to pick parties.
“But actually, the wakil rakyat is picked based on the party, and he contested under that particular party’s ticket, manifesto and beliefs.
“So if they choose to leave the party after they are elected by voters, it is a breach of trust,??? he said.
