Mah: Public must know who approved Tanjung Bungah housing projects

KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan wants the DAP-led Penang government to verify if it had indeed approved 39 housing projects in Tanjung Bungah, compared to only four between 2004 and 2008 during its tenure.

Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong challenged the state government to verify if it had indeed approved the housing projects in Tanjung Bungah, which recently suffered two incidences of landslides.

He said only four housing projects were approved between 2004 and 2008 under Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon’s tenure as the state’s chief minister.

“Is this true? I don’t want to make accusations. I only want answers. Did the approval of projects really increase by 10 times?

“It’s not easy to turn down developers but it’s easy to say yes. So, this is one of the reasons why we are talking about overdevelopment,” he said during his winding-up speech at Gerakan national delegates conference at Menara PGRM.

On Oct 21, a landslide occurred at a Tanjung Bungah construction site, killing 11 workers.

On Nov 5, a landslide-cum-sinkhole tore up a road in front of a row of newly built luxury houses on a hillside in Tanjung Bungah following floods which was described as the worst in the state’s history.

In his policy speech earlier yesterday, Mah said Gerakan wel- comed and fully supported the statement issued by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal on behalf of the Conference of Rulers on Oct 10.

In the statement, the Malay Rulers had expressed their concerns over issues of unity and harmony in light of recent controversies.

Mah said Gerakan welcomed and fully supported the statement in condemning the actions of individuals and groups who put harmony in Malaysia’s multiethnic and multi- racial society at risk.

“Indeed, some have gone too far like individuals who create segregated laundries or preachers claiming that non-Muslims cannot cut the hair of Muslims.

“Although these voices of extremism are from a minority we must deal with them strictly because if not, they will be a cancer or a thorn in the flesh of our country’s harmony,” said Mah, who urged the police to take serious action against extremists.