IT’S A NO-NO FOR PIL 1
ON June 9, 2014, Yeo Bee Yin, who was then a state assemblyman in Selangor, wrote in The Rocket (DAP newspaper), that if Kidex (Kinrara-Damansara Expressway) were to be built, it would cost RM2.4 billion or RM161 million per km making it the most expensive highway in Malaysia.
According to the data provided, the most expensive highway then was the RM751 million AmpangKuala Lumpur Elevated Highway at RM95 million per km.
The DAP was dead set against Kidex because “it cuts across mature townships incurring the highest construction cost per km”.
But on Sept 20, 2018, Yeo, now the Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Minister, attended a 800strong townhall in Penang.
The event heard presentations by the consultants on the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) report of the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL 1), as well as public feedback.
The Penang Forum submitted detailed feedback regarding concerns over PIL 1 and over 2,000 letters on the DEIA report to Yeo.
Before the event ended, Yeo said that development must be balanced with the environment, and a hard decision was needed.
Instead of reassuring the crowd that decisions would be made on the basis of facts and evidence, i.e. evidence-based policy, she referred to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s advice that the best decision was one that would please no one.
She also assured the crowd that she believed no one on the stage was on the take.
Penang Forum did not receive any feedback from the Department of Environment for six months. When Penang Forum wrote to inquire, it received a brief note in March to say the project was under review.
On April 14, it was announced in newspapers that the PIL 1 project had received conditional approval with 56 conditions attached. There was no public engagement in this process. The public is in the dark about those 56 conditions.
In 2014, DAP and Yeo asked for transparency. Now that they are in a position of power to make and implement those decisions, they must practice what they preach.
What do other DAP leaders have to say about the PIL 1? They sing praises about the need for PIL 1. Politicians have short memories.
On May 29, 2012, Chow Kon Yeow, who was then an opposition member of parliament, said: “If the findings of the Halcrow Report is true, Dr Koh (Dr Koh Tsu Koon) would be irresponsible in pushing the PORR (Penang Outer Ring Road) through as this will not be a long-term solution to the traffic congestion on the island.”
This was underscored by Lim Kit Siang who said what Penang needed was an efficient public transport system based on a sustainable transport policy.
PORR is the precursor to PIL 1. It shares almost the same alignment except that PIL 1 is longer than PORR. Just as the Halcrow consultants warned that PORR will not solve traffic congestion after five to eight years, the consultants for the PIL 1 DEIA report gave the same warning. They said congestion would return seven years after PIL 1 was completed.
Why are these politicians who are now in a position of power reneging on their earlier positions?
Why are they not making decisions based on evidence? This is supposed to be a new government that heralds hope. We need to hold them accountable.