PETALING JAYA: Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng claims the government’s decision to cancel Penang’s “iconic ferry service” is proof of the animosity Perikatan Nasional (PN) has against the state.
The existing two old ferries in service are set to be replaced by a new fleet in two years, with Lim previously saying the federal government’s plan ignored Penang’s heritage and history.
“The cancellation of the iconic 126-year-old Penang ferry service is an unequivocal declaration of the PN government’s open confrontation with the people of Penang, led by their chosen hatchet man, MCA president (and transport minister) Wee Ka Siong,” Lim said said in a statement.
“This is not the first time that Penang has suffered badly from the heavy hand of vengeance politics since the PN government took over in March 2020,” added Lim, who was the previous finance minister.
The DAP secretary-general said that apart from the loss of the old ferries, Penang saw several other development projects approved by the Pakatan Harapan government cancelled by the PN administration.
Lim said among them were the proposed RM800 million expansion of the Penang International Airport, work on which was put off.
Lim also highlighted the cancellation of a RM100 million grant to build the Penang Hill cable car and the suspension of federal government guarantees for the Penang state government to secure a RM2 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank to finance the construction of the Light Rail Transit project.
Lim said the cable car was to cater to the increase in traffic from 250,000 passengers a year to two million. The LRT project was planned to ease the chronic traffic congestion in Penang that impedes future growth prospects.
“Despite Penang contributing RM7 billion in yearly taxes and revenue to the federal government, the PN government has taken back all these critical development projects planned by the PH government,” said Lim.
“MCA and Wee will never be forgiven nor forgotten by Penangites and our children for their vindictive, vengeance politics.”
Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz previously told the Dewan Rakyat that Penang’s ferry services would continue with a RM30 million allocation from the ministry next year.
However, Wee has since confirmed that the old ferries will make way for “safer, faster and cheaper-to-maintain” water buses (to carry passengers) and lighters (to carry motorcycles). These are expected to arrive by mid-2022.
Wee said that while many had expressed regret that the old ferries were being replaced, the need to ensure passenger safety made it crucial for a newer generation of ferries to be put into service.
Future carriers will not carry cars but only pedestrians, motorcycles or bicycles. Cars and lorries will have to use one of the two bridges linking the mainland to the island.