by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Wednesday, March 2, 1994:
The full MPPP Council should withhold final approval for the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ Project in view of the opposition by the overwhelming majority of the Midlands residents
MPPP President, Datuk Tan Gim Hwa, has confirmed that the Municipal Planning and Development Committee had given planning approval to the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project on February 7.
Tan Gim Hwa, who is Chairman of the MPPP Planning and Development Committee, had acted in a most- high-handed and- arbitrary manner in failing to keep the Midlands people informed or the proposed approval by Municipal Planning and Development. Committee as he should, have known of the strong opposition by the overwhelming majority of the Midlands people to- the project.
Tan Gim Hwa had also acted in a most improper and dishonest manner in getting the Municipal Planning and Development Committee to approve the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project when he relied on the viewsof a handful of the affected Midlands residents, when the’overwhelming majority of the affected Midlands are opposed to the MPPP giving approval to the project.
Tan Gim ‘Hwa should take serious note of the following three-point resolution passed by the Midlands residents at the meeting called by the Taman Midlands Action Committee at the Pulau Tikus Community Centre last night:
“We, the residents at Midlands who would be affected by the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project at the meeting called by the Taman Mid¬lands’ Action Committee-at Pulau Tikus Balai Rakyat on 1st -March 1984:
EXPRESS OUR OBJECTION to any project which will turn Midlands into another KOMTAR and destroy the congenial living conditions which had been a unique feature of Midlands and creating grave social and environmental problems for the residents and their children;
RESOLVE that the MPPP should not give planning approval for the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project until the affected Midlands residents have been fully consulted; and
DEMAND that the MPPP and the developer, Pangkal Permata (M) Sdn. Bhd. should put on public display the entire planning applications of the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project so that the affected residents can understand how the project would affect them and their children and to enable them to make Informed representations to the uthoritie concerned.”
In view of the three-point resolution passed by the meeting of Midlands residents last night, which represent the views of the majority of the people who will be affected by the project, the full MPPP Council should withhold giving final approval to the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project.
The MPPP Planning and Development Committee had been misguided in giving approval to the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project allegedly following dialogues and agreement reached between the developer and a Taman Midlands residents’ committee headed by the Gerakan Assemblyman for Kebun Bunga Dr. Teng Hock Nam, because this Taman Midlands residents’ committee represents only a handful of people and cannot speak on behalf of all Midlands residents.
Dr. Teng Hock Nam and members of his committee had in fact been invited to the meeting at Pulau Tikus Community Centre last night but unfortunately, they did not attend.
If the MPPP and the developer, go ahead with the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project despite the strong opposition of the overwhelming majority of the Midlands people, as expressed in their three-point resolution in last night’s meeting, then they are being very irresponsible in openly disregarding the democratic rights of the ratepayers in the Midlands area.
In such a situation, the Penang Chief Minister, Dr. Koh Tsu Koon must intervene to ensure that the MPPP President, Datuk Tan Gim Kwa, do not ride roughshod over the rights of the majority of the Midlands residents by giving final and full approval to the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project.