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10 June 2019
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KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has harshly criticised local English daily The Star today, accusing the newspaper of having “sowed confusion” with its report that two rival bids are ongoing for new international airports in Penang.
In his statement today, Lim said that the Ministry of Finance (MOF) as well as the Transport Ministry (MOT), and both the Penang and Kedah state governments are all in the dark about the details reported in the article.
“To date, The Star report has only sowed confusion amongst the communications and transport industry, because they failed to disclose who had attended the briefing on accepting the reccomendations,” the former Penang chief minister said.
“Unless the MCA-owned The Star can prove that they practice responsible journalism by showing evidence, and that it is not a figment of their imagination that the federal government had considered the proposals, they are on a fishing expedition not worthy of professional journalism.”
Lim also accused the paper of writing a “grossly unfair” report by allegedly giving the negative impression that Putrajaya is considering such a massive project involving thousands of hectares of paddy fields and reclaimed land from the sea.
Lim also stressed Putrajaya’s commitment to expand the existing Penang International Airport (PIA) to accommodate 16 million travellers annually, from its present 6.5 million.
“As for the Kulim International Airport, the federal government is awaiting proposals on its construction through PFI, without requiring any expenditure from the federal government,” he said, referring to private finance initiative.
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Transport Ministry also unaware of new Penang international airport bids
KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — The Transport Ministry said it has no knowledge of two rival bids for new international airports in Penang.
Earlier, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow also said his administration was unaware of the two purported bids that were reported by The Star today.
The report quoted a source as saying that one of the two firms has already submitted its proposal for an international airport in Seberang Perai to the government.
“The Transport Ministry have not been notified of these plans, not involved in any discussions regarding it and have not received any recommendation letters for the construction of the two airports,” the ministry said in a statement.
It pointed out that it was the legal authority for such facilities based on the Civil Aviation Act 1969.
It then stressed that it was proceeding with the expansion of the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas.
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The StarVerified account @staronline
New airport proposals for Penang
- NATION
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Monday, 10 Jun 2019
EXCLUSIVE:GEORGE TOWN: Amid all the hype surrounding the Kulim International Airport (KXP) there is now even talk of two companies proposing to build a new airport in two different locations in south Seberang Perai on mainland Penang.
It is learnt that one private company proposed to the Federal Government its plans to build a new airport in Penang, while another company is about to do the same soon.
It is understood that the proposal for NMIA, if given the nod, would be an exchange for the rights to develop the coveted prime land now occupied by PIA.
A source revealed that the location of NMIA, which would cost about RM10bil and covering a whopping 650ha, would be near the border shared by Kedah, Penang and Perak.
The site, at present, is a vast tract of padi fields, and the project includes an additional 400ha for warehousing and logistics facilities.
“The company proposed an airport large enough to handle 16 million passengers a year, expandable to 25 million.
“It will serve the three states with a check-in terminal featuring a transit monorail for flight passengers to commute between Penang island and NMIA in 45 minutes,” the source revealed.
He said the monorail transit line was calculated to be 57km long, about the same as the train link between Kuala Lumpur International Airport and KL Sentral.
This rail link includes an interchange station with the Electric Train Service between Padang Besar (Perlis) and Kuala Lumpur, and stops at Batu Kawan Industrial Estate on the Penang mainland and near Queensbay Mall in Bayan Lepas on the island.
“The company’s proposal for NMIA was so detailed that it surprised those to whom it was presented to in the Federal Government,” said the source who declined to reveal who attended the project presentation.
A check revealed that the state government might not be aware of the proposal.
When asked, a senior state executive council member replied that “this is the first time I am hearing about it”.
The source said the company did not “ask for a sen” to build NMIA, and the proposers offered to build it in exchange for the land that PIA is on.
“They won’t even need the land until NMIA is fully operational.
“The company claims it can raise enough funds to build NMIA fully before seeing a return on their investment by developing the Bayan Lepas airport land,” he said, adding that the company is also willing to finance the cost of acquiring land in south Seberang Prai to build NMIA.
He said while the current estimated value of the Bayan Lepas airport land is RM7.2bil, the development value would be more than double and “immense” enough to make NMIA commercially viable.
The other proposal, NORIA, includes the building of an industrial fisheries port, a major enhancement to Penang’s aquaculture sector in south Seberang Prai and a new electronics industrial park.
A different source revealed that this entails reclaiming 5,000ha between the second Penang bridge and the Penang-Perak border.
“It will be an island. On top of an airport, it will be the largest aquaculture and deep-sea fisheries hub in peninsular Malaysia,” the source said, adding that the fishing port would support tuna fishing activities in the Andaman Sea and even the Indian Ocean on the other side of Sumatra island.
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Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/06/10/new-airport-proposals-for-penang/#8bLxCg3TeilKyIU6.99
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weehingthong 