The Protect Karpal Singh Drive action committee (ProtectKarpal) notes Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s statement that the Penang state government has met the Department of Environment (DoE).
He said the meeting was held to better understand the environmental impact assessment considerations for the proposed Jelutong landfill rehabilitation and Karpal Singh Drive reclamation project.
ProtectKarpal does not object to the state government seeking technical clarification from the DoE. Public decisions involving landfill safety, reclamation, coastal ecology and public health must be guided by accurate information, lawful procedure and sound environmental science.
However, given the long and troubled history of this project – including repeated environmental impact assessment non-approvals, prolonged non-commencement, repeated extensions of time, revised payment arrangements and unresolved disclosure issues — any engagement between the state and the DoE must be handled with full transparency.
The issue is not merely whether a meeting took place. The issue is whether such a meeting could create a public perception that the state is seeking to influence the regulatory process in favour of keeping the 2020 Jelutong landfill joint development agreement alive.
That perception must be addressed directly.
The state is not a neutral bystander. The Penang state government is a party to the 2020 joint development agreement. The Penang Development Corporation is involved in the project structure. And the project concerns a public coastline, landfill rehabilitation, possible reclamation, land value, public health and environmental risk.
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In this context, a state-DoE meeting on a fresh environmental impact assessment submission must not be allowed to appear as a closed-door route to overcome previous environmental impact assessment non-approvals.
The DoE must be seen to act independently, professionally and without political or project-related pressure.
ProtectKarpal is not alleging that the DoE has been pressured, or that any party has acted improperly.
Our concern is about public confidence. When a project has failed to obtain an environmental impact assessment approval repeatedly, and when the state continues to consider the project’s future, the public is entitled to know whether the regulator is being asked only for technical clarification – or whether the meeting could be perceived as an attempt to smooth the way for an approval.
ProtectKarpal therefore calls on the Penang state government to disclose, in the public interest:
- Who attended the meeting with the DoE
- Whether the PDC, PLB, consultants or legal advisers were present
- Whether minutes or records of the meeting were taken
- What technical issues were discussed
- Whether the DoE explained the reasons for previous environmental impact assessment non-approvals
- What changes have been made in the latest environmental impact assessment submission
- Whether the proposed 70-acre “additional area” was discussed
- Whether any request, representation or assurance was made concerning the approval of the new environmental impact assessment submission
- Whether any extension of time or joint development agreement-related decision will be made before independent public scrutiny is completed
ProtectKarpal makes these requests in good faith, based on publicly reported information and legitimate public-interest concerns. We do not allege corruption, bad faith, improper pressure or wrongdoing by any party.
Our position is simple: where a regulator is considering a fresh environmental impact assessment application after repeated non-approvals, the process must not only be independent, it must be seen to be independent.
The chief minister reportedly said some NGOs are “impatient”. With respect, the affected residents are not impatient. The residents have waited for years beside an unrehabilitated landfill while the landfill rehabilitation has yet to commence, the environmental impact assessment has yet to be approved, and key documents remain undisclosed.
The residents of Bandar Sri Pinang, Jelutong and Karpal Singh Drive support urgent and safe landfill rehabilitation. They want fire risks, landfill gas, leachate, odour, dust and land instability addressed without delay.
They also have the right to know whether the landfill rehabilitation is being handled transparently, whether reclamation-related risks are being properly assessed, and whether the environmental impact assessment process remains independent.
If the state’s meeting with the DoE was purely for technical clarification, a disclosure would strengthen public confidence. If no pressure was applied, no special representation was made, and no attempt was made to influence the regulator, the state should have no difficulty in publishing the meeting record and clarifying the scope of the discussion.
ProtectKarpal also notes the chief minister’s statement that any decision may carry financial implications. That is precisely why transparency is essential.
Financial exposure cannot become a reason to keep a problematic agreement alive without scrutiny, nor should it create pressure, direct or indirect, on the environmental approval process.
The environmental impact assessment process must not be shaped by political convenience, contractual exposure or developer interest. It must be shaped by science, law, public health and environmental protection.
ProtectKarpal again calls on Chief Minister Chow to uphold his commitment to deny the developer further extensions of time beyond 28 February 2026.
The people of Bandar Sri Pinang, Jelutong and Karpal Singh Drive want the landfill made safe. They also want environmental regulatory independence, public accountability and transparent governance.
Publish the meeting record. Protect the DoE’s independence. Protect the people. – ProtectKarpal
The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
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