Media Statement by Zairil Khir Johari on 24 May 2021, George Town:
Politicising the Penang South Islands Project a desperate attempt by Gerakan to distract from Perikatan Nasional’s failure to manage the Covid-19 crisis
Gerakan Deputy President Oh Tong Keong’s latest statement is a desperate attempt to politicise the Penang South Islands (PSI) project in order to divert attention away from their Perikatan Nasional coalition’s failure to manage the Covid-19 crisis.
In the statement dated 23 May 2021, he alleges that the Penang State Government “lied” about the submission of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the reclamation works, which the Department of Environment (DOE) claims not to have received.
The fact is that the original EMP was delivered to the Department of Environment (DOE) on 6 January 2021. Having not received any response from the DOE, the application was withdrawn on 7 May 2021 for further fine-tuning to ensure compliance to the proposed mitigation measures and environmental offset programmes of the PSI.
The revised EMP is expected to be delivered to DOE in June 2021. Hence, that is why the statement by the DOE on 20 May 2021 states that the EMP has not been submitted.
The Penang State Government is fully committed to ensure that the PSI is designed to adhere to ESG (environmental, social, and governance) standards that are required by the leading global multinational corporations. This will make the PSI a green and sustainable development which will attract the necessary foreign and domestic investment to generate jobs and inject capital into the Penang economy. Such a catalytic project is necessary now more than ever as a recovery driver to reboot our economy especially in the post-Covid-19 environment.
The present engagement between the Penang State Government and the DOE is a professional matter and not a political issue. Gerakan’s attempt to politicise the discussion reveals their desperation amidst the clear failings of the Federal Government to control the pandemic and vaccinate the population.
Zairil Khir Johari
Penang State EXCO for Infrastructure and Transport
政治化槟城南部填海计划，民政党试图分散国盟无法处理冠病疫情肆虐危机注意力
民政党全国署理主席胡栋强5月23日文告，政治化槟州南部填海计划，试图转移国盟抗疫无能的注意力。
他在文告中指出，槟州政府“谎称”已提交填海工程环境管理计划（EMP）给环境部（DOE）；而该部却声称尚未收到有关计划。
事实上，填海工程环境管理计划已在今年1月6日提交给环境部。在还没接获环境部的回复之前，州政府于5月7日撤回该申请，进行小部分调整，以确保南部填海计划符合缓解措施和环境抵消项目。
修正后的填海工程环境管理计划将在6月再提交给环境部。因此，这也是为何卫生部会在5月20日时，发表声明指还没收到该计划。
槟州政府会致力确保南部填海计划符合全球领先跨国公司要求的环境、社会和治理标准（ESG）。这将使南岛成为绿色和可持续性发展，吸引更国内外投资，以创造更多就业机会和为槟城经济注入更多资金。我们需要如此催化的项目来恢复经济驱动力，尤其是在全球大流行之后，能重启我们的经济。
目前，槟州政府与环境部之间属于专业问题，而不是政治问题。民政党试图将之政治化，显见他们在国盟政府内是无法控制疫情和为人民接种疫苗。
再里尔
槟州基设与交通事务委员会主席