PETALING JAYA: Former transport minister Loke Siew Fook has advised MCA secretary-general Chong Sin Woon to focus on tackling cargo problems in Port Klang instead of interfering in the Penang ferry issue.
He said this was because the Penang ferry issue had nothing to do with Chong.
“After disappearing for almost two years having been rejected by voters in Seremban in the last general election (GE15), Chong was appointed as Port Klang Board chairman by his boss (Wee Ka Siong), who entered the transport ministry through the back door,” he said in a Facebook post today.
He was referring to Chong’s statement yesterday saying Loke had announced plans under the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration to implement water taxis or “catamaran boats” to replace part of the Penang ferry service this year.
Loke turned the tables on Chong, asking him to first settle the cargo backlog problems that had been reported at Westport.
“If he does not understand what I announced in 2019, read carefully,” he said, quoting Astro Awani’s report on his announcement to upgrade the ferry service during his tenure as transport minister.
On Aug 23, 2019, Loke had said the project to upgrade the Penang ferry service will be carried out this year under Syarikat Prasarana Malaysia. This included introducing catamaran-type boats as well as a ferry to carry tourists.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Wee had been issuing statements on the ferry service, with the former Penang chief minister upset that the “iconic ferries” are being phased out to be replaced with more efficient ferries.
He said this was a “cold and callous” approach by the federal government which ignored the sentiments of the locals and took the “romance” out of cross-channel travel.
“Many countries still retain their original ferry services even though it may not be economical due to their intrinsic worth and intangible value to heritage and history,” Lim had said.
He also said the cancellation of the service provided by the old Penang ferries was an example of Perikatan Nasional (PN) government’s “open confrontation” with the DAP-led Penang government, with Wee acting as its “hatchet man”.
Lim said MCA and Wee, who is MCA president, would not be forgiven by the people of Penang for doing so.
Wee had cleared the initial confusion over whether the old ferries would be repaired and retained by announcing that they would be retired for good.
He said they would make way for “safer, faster and cheaper-to-maintain” water buses (to carry passengers) and transporters for motorcycles and emergency vehicles. These are expected to arrive by mid-2022.
Cars and lorries will have to use the two existing bridges connecting the mainland and the island.