‘TRAGEDY COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED’
DAP rep’s complaints ignored by party, says Mah
GEORGE TOWN
TANJUNG Bungah assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu has been ridiculed by fellow DAP representatives in the state for his stand against hillslope development projects.
However, he said his stance would not change, saying that this was vital to prevent yet another environmental and deadly catastrophe in Penang.
Teh said there were three hillside projects going on, with several more projects waiting for approval from the authorities.
“I am against these projects. Even for this project here (in the landslide area), a report was submitted for a review and I rejected it. But a few years later, the project went on without my knowledge.”
Teh said the party which approved the project and the developer should be held responsible for Saturday’s landslide.
“In this case, the one who gave approval is the state government.”
In Kuala Lumpur, Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong said the tragedy could have been prevented if the DAP-led Penang government had listened to Teh’s complaints.
He said Teh had been sounding the alarm repeatedly, but it was ignored.
“Teh had spoken out many times on the issue of over-development in Penang and the danger it posed, but DAP refused to listen to its own people,” he said.
Mah said Teh had been labelled a rebel by DAP members and was taken to task by several Penang Island City Council councillors for not supporting the projects.