GEORGE TOWN (June 17, 2012): The DAP has launched a “Return the Port to Penang” campaign following confirmation that the Penang Port has been privatised by the Federal government.
State DAP chairman and executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow said the initiative was to rally the people to call on the cabinet to revoke the decision to privatise the port without an open tender.
The campaign also wanted the federal government to deepen the northern part of the Penang channel immediately as well as transfer ownership of the port to the state government.
“As far as Penang’s economic future is concerned, this is the most pressing and urgent issue,” he told a press conference.
The Transport Ministry had confirmed that Seaport Terminal (Johor) Sdn Bhd, owned by tycoon Tan Sri Syed MokhtarAl-Bukhary, had been allowed to take Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) private.
This was revealed in a written parliamentary reply to Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng who had asked for an update of the port’s privatisation.