MPPP has acted against the public interest in giving full approval for the controversial Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project without fully taking into account the strong objections of the majority of the affected residents who oppose a second KOMTAR in their midst

by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Friday, March 25, 1994:

MPPP has acted against the public interest in giving full approval for the controversial Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project without fully taking into account the strong objections of the majority of the affected residents who oppose a second KOMTAR in their midst

The MPPP has acted against the public interest in giving full approval for the controversial Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project without fully taking into account the strong objections of the majority of the affected residents who oppose a second KOMTAR in their midst.

MPPP President, Datuk Tan Gim Hwa, has announced that the MPPP gave planning permission for the project on February 8, and that the full MPPP council gave its approval on February 28.

In failing to take into account the reservations and. objections of the affected Midlands residents, the MPPP has provided another classic example of the evils and abuses of a nominated system of local government which is not answerable to the ratepayers.

The request of, the affected Midlands residents that the MPPP should put on public display the full planning applications of the Taman Midlands project so that they could make informed, and proper representations has also been ignored by the MPPP.

Why did MPPP give full, approval to Taman Midlands project when ACA had not completed its investigations?

It is also most regrettable that the Penang Chief Minister, Dr. Koh Tsu Kaon, has not intervened in the issue to ensure that before MPPP gave its full approval for the Taman Midlands ‘One-Step Centre’ project, the MPPP should conduct the fullest consultation with the affected residents and comply with the principles of accountability, transparency and integrity.

In this connection, the MPPP President, Datuk Tan Gim Hwa should explain why the MPPP proceeded to give approval to the Taman Midlands ‘One-Stop Centre’ project although the Anti-Corruption Agency has started investigations into the issue and -has not completed its investigations.

In any event, the MPPP owes a duty to make public the full details of its planning approval of the Taman Midlands project, spelling the full details of the project and the re¬quirements and conditions which have to be complied by the developer, Pangkal Permata (M) Sdn, Bhd.