Concerned over opposition to Undersea Tunnel and Expressways

More expressways please! (12 March 2013)

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The following is a letter to the Consumer Association of Penang following its media statement opposing the construction of the Undersea Tunnel and Expressways, entitled "Abort Tunnel Vision": https://consumer.org.my/index.php/development/physical/642-abort-tunnel-vision

As a person who is passionate about the well-being of the people in Penang, I usually support causes of the Consumers' Association of Penang.

In the case of the undersea tunnel and expressways, I am concerned that the opposition of the Consumer Association of Penang (CAP) towards the project will eclipse their benefits, to the great detriment of the people of Penang. Being a very influential body in the state, CAP rightly has the best interest of Penang in mind. However, in the case of these infrastructure projects, I believe it is in the best interest of the people of Penang to lend our support to the Chief Minister in constructing these roadways, and to use our position to closely monitor how the undersea tunnel and expressways are constructed. In other words, "Go ahead and build, but we will watch you closely."

The positive impact of the undersea tunnel is greater than any negative impact. Once the Second Penang Bridge is constructed, both the central and southern parts of Seberang Perai will be linked to Penang Island. These two regions will benefit from the resulting development, urbanization and industrialization. As Northern Seberang Perai remains the only region not directly linked, the cost of doing business there will be higher than at the other two regions. As a result, Northern Seberang Perai risks becoming a backwater region.

We should not allow any particular region of Penang State to be neglected. The development and urbanization of Penang State should not be concentrated only to George Town, but should be evenly distributed to all the different regions. I am glad that the Chief Minister in his foresight sees to it that preparations is made to eventually link Northern Seberang Perai to Penang Island. The construction of the undersea tunnel will spur development, industrialization and urbanization in Northern Seberang Perai. This will lead to the creation of jobs for the people in the region, uplifting their income and well-being. As a whole, Penang State can develop at a uniform pace, without any region being left behind.

In the article, "Abort Tunnel Vision", the Consumer Association of Penang states that "Countless studies have proved conclusively that building more roads (or even widening existing roads) is only a short-term solution as the new roads will invariably attract more traffic and soon the roads will be congested again. In the case of Penang, with 100,000 new vehicles hitting the roads every year, the culmination of such a process will be sooner than anyone can anticipate."

More roads do not attract more traffic. These are two separate issues. The number of vehicles added to the roads will grow regardless whether more roads are built. The number of cars increase because people need the cars, not because a new road is built. Nobody makes a decision such as "I'm going to buy a car because the government is building a new expressway." The usual decision is, "I'm going to buy a car because I need a car to take me to work and back. And I'm thankful for the new expressway because it will reduce travel time to my work place." There are more cars because there are more people; there are more people because there are more jobs. In towns with few job opportunities, people move away, and as a result, there are fewer cars on the roads and less congestion.

Most road users in Penang will agree that the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway helps to cut down travel time between the city and the southern part of Penang Island. Without this expressway, travel time between Batu Maung and George Town will be much longer using the existing Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah. This is an example where building the right road benefits the people of Penang.

One of the reasons for the congestion in Penang is that we don't have the right roads. Instead of grade-separated expressways that move people quickly to their destination, we rely on district distributors to do the job. District distributors such as Perak Road, Scotland Road, Green Lane and Jalan Air Itam can only take this much traffic. These are not grade separated and access controlled, they have outlets from people's driveway. Each time a car pulls out onto the district distributor, it affects the overall speed and traffic flow.

The survival of Penang depends on managing its development, industrialization and urbanization. By allowing the whole Penang State to continue growing, we allow it to continue attracting investments and businesses. Any attempt to curtail this development - such as forcing people to drive a longer way because we refuse to build expressways that will cut travel time - will eventually force them to evaluate whether they should take their skills to other cities where the standard of living is better. As a comparison, although Singapore has an MRT and an excellent bus system, it also has a good network of expressways. The only expressway on Penang Island is the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, and even then, it is not fully grade separated.

Roads exists not only for people, but for goods as well. The existence of expressways allow goods to be moved speedily from point of manufacture to point of export. If we are concerned that building these expressways will create congestions, we should take steps to ensure that these expressways are free from all users except those who need them most. This can be done through tolls, car pooling discounts, reduced fare for trucks/buses, and so on.

While I continue to support the Consumer Association of Penang in fighting for the well-being of the people of Penang, in the case of the undersea tunnel and expressways, I would urge the association to reconsider its opposition to the projects. Once again, instead of fully opposing their construction, let us closely monitor how these will be executed.

Disappointed with the Penang Forum

I am incredibly disappointed with the Penang Forum. It runs an article entitled, "Penang Forum opposes road-based tunnel, serious reservations about highway-building spree." https://penangforum.net/2013/03/19/penang-forum-opposes-road-based-tunnel-serious-reservations-about-highway-building-spree/#more-419

So I left a reply on that article giving my point of view, that the undersea tunnel and expressways are more beneficial than detrimental to the people of Penang. So far, it hasn't published my reply.*

For entities that claim to champion local democracy and the voice of the people, it's very disappointing that when the people do speak, their voice is suppressed if it runs contrary to their established views. This is hypocritical of people who call for the liberation of local censorship but themselves practise it within their own arena.

And how could something calling itself a "forum" take sides? A true forum is supposed to be a place where issues of public interest are discussed; on the issue of the Undersea Tunnel and Expressways, it should simply canvas public opinion and let everybody speak freely. If it states outright that it opposes or supports something, it has already formed an opinion before the public has its say. And when it suppresses contradictory views instead of listening to all respectfully, it's even more sad. It's like saying. "You don't think; we'll think on your behalf, just support us with both eyes shut."

If the Penang Forum is only interested in its own views, and say that it represents the people, "forum" is not the right name for it: it should instead be called the "Penang Rubber Stamp Association".

Read also: Groups opposed to the Penang undersea tunnel project abusing the word Forum

Response to Penang Forum

The Penang Forum finally published my letter on 21 March, 2013. They have also provided a reply, an excerpt of which I quote below:

"The consultants also felt that a tunnel was not an immediate priority and need only be considered for 2030 and beyond. Why is the state government in a rush to get the tunnel going now?"

Here's my response to the above query: Thank you for sharing your opinion (though an entity calling itself a "forum" should by right be impartial, that is to say, create the forum for the public to air their opinion, rather than assume the role of the public). Nevertheless I thank you for your concern over the welfare of the people of Penang, an issue of our mutual concern.

According to you, "The consultants also felt that a tunnel was not an immediate priority and need only be considered for 2030 and beyond."

This is looking at the issue solely from the transportation perspective.

As the leader of the state, the Chief Minister has to manage the well-being of the state from many angles, and not see an issue as tied solely to transportation.

It is the duty of the Chief Minister to ensure development is evenly distributed, and in particular northern Seberang Perai does not get left behind compared to central and southern Seberang Perai.

Another duty of the Chief Minister is wealth distribution. By establishing a direct link for northern Seberang Perai to Penang Island, he can uplift the income level of people living there, as he makes it more attractive for businesses to consider setting up plants and industrial parks in that area.

The Chief Minister also has to look at population distribution. If the time taken to travel from northern Seberang Perai to George Town is reduced, more people will be willing to relocate there. Time taken for buses to travel between northern Seberang Perai to Penang Island will also go down, making it more practical for people to consider living there, even if they hold jobs in George Town. Much have been said about improving public transport. With a link between George Town and northern Seberang Perai established, Rapid Penang can introduce direct bus services on that link.

Income disparity between the races is also his concern. The people living in northern Seberang Perai are mostly Malays. By bringing development to that region, the Chief Minister can help address income imbalance between the races.

The Chief Minister also has to look at job opportunities. The resulting link will bring development, industrialization and urbanization, providing lots of job opportunities to the people of northern Seberang Perai.

The job of the consultants is to tell us about transport. That's what we ask them and that's what they tell us. But the job of the Chief Minister is to be the leader of the people of Penang. And that role goes far beyond focusing solely on transportation. He has to take so many things into account: wealth distribution, population distribution, income disparity, job opportunities, things outside the scope of the transport consultants. While a tunnel, from a transport perspective, might not appear to be an immediate priority, addressing income imbalance, improving wealth and population distribution, improving job opportunities, these are. And all these are addressed with the decision to construct the link.

You asked, "Why is the state government in a rush to get the tunnel going now?" Well, one reason is, the Second Penang Bridge will be completed soon, bringing lots of benefits to the people in southern Seberang Perai. The Chief Minister does not want the people in northern Seberang Perai to feel that he has neglected their well being. When we consider the opportunity to help people in a rural, neglected region enjoy a better life, don't you agree that the sooner is indeed the better?

A good leader is one who looks after the welfare of the people of Penang from all angles. Once we have elected someone to be our Chief Minister, we should stand behind him and follow his leadership rather than try to do his job or interfere with his decision. We don't carry his problems to bed at night, so we cannot fully comprehend all the various angles he has to consider in deriving his decision.

If we do not agree with his leadership, we can always choose a different leader with a different vision the next time the opportunity to vote arises.
The Penang Forum cannot continue to exist in its present incarnation
Let me make this clear: when I defend the Chief Minister's position (with regards the undersea tunnel and expressways), I am not defending any particular political party: I am defending democracy. When we, the people, have elected our Chief Minister, we close ranks and follow his leadership, regardless which political party he belongs to. The people cannot allow an entity, whom we do not elect, interfere with the decision of the Chief Minister, whom we did elect. We cannot say, "But I did not personally vote for the Chief Minister." Once a Chief Minister is elected, the people have spoken, and in a democracy, it's the voice of the people that matters. Anybody aspiring to do the Chief Minister's job should seek election.

Right now I am still have difficulty addressing the Penang Forum as a "forum" when they don't behave as one. I am astonished that they can carry on for so long without anybody pointing it out. And the fact that they are an umbrella body sheltering so many NGOs is too embarrassing.

The Penang Forum cannot continue to exist in its present incarnation. It has to decide whether it wants to be a forum or it wants to be a public watchdog. Don't you realize what an odd creature we have in our midst? The Penang Forum, in its present state, is a chicken that quacks.

If the Penang Forum wants to be a forum, it has to take on forum characteristics. First of all, it has to be completely impartial to issues of public interest. Secondly it has to provide the public venues to air public opinion over issues of public interest. This can be done by organizing public gatherings where such issues are discussed, the points collected, and both the pros and cons published. Penang Forum has to stay neutral at all times. This can only be done through venues where the public can speak freely, not through "surveys" and "questionnaires" where respondents are forced to provide a fashioned response. On the Internet, the Penang Forum can transform from a blog to an online forum, using forum software such as vBulletin. To exist as a forum, it can be the instrument of public opinion, but it cannot take a stand on any issue of public interest (in other words: stop quacking).

If the Penang Forum desires the role of a public watchdog, it has to drop the word "forum" from its name. An entity cannot choose any name just because it sounds grand or stately. When dealing with serious issues of public interest, it is necessary to be precise. Misleading the public with your name is not acceptable. The public - those who understand English - will not take you seriously. Moreover it is a gross betrayal of public trust when an entity whose name conjures an expectation of impartiality turns out not to be. When CAP takes a stand, when PHT takes a stand, the public sees a normal picture. But when Penang Forum takes a stand, the public sees a chicken quacking. The effect will bring the house down for all the wrong reasons.

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