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GEORGE TOWN: Transportation Minister Dr. Wee Ka Siong criticized Lim Guan Eng for trying to characterize the Penang ferry service upgrade on New Year’s Day as a “cancellation” of service.
Wee said that although the federal government was only striving to take the ferry service to the next level, the DAP secretary general tried to label it as “the cancellation of the iconic 126-year-old Penang ferry service.”
He added that the ferry service will not be canceled.
The Transport Minister said on his Facebook page on Sunday (December 27) that the previous Pakatan Harapan government also wanted to replace the Penang ferries, suggesting catamarans as replacement.
He cited part of a speech by Senator Lim Hui Ying, Lim’s sister, on December 17, in which he said that replacing the decades-old ferries was “a modernization that could not be avoided.”
Hui Ying, in Dewan Negara, called for the upgrade to be speeded up and felt that a one-year deadline would be too long.
Wee expressed his dismay that Lim’s press release on Sunday (December 27) was not in line with his sister’s comments in the Dewan Negara.
“Isn’t replacing breakdown-prone ferries with catamarans a more practical move to protect the safety of Penang people and more beneficial to Penang’s travel and transportation industries?” I ask.
In the short term, two high-capacity passenger ships will be deployed starting on New Year’s Day to ferry pedestrians through the canal at nearly twice the speed that decades-old ferries could achieve.
Meanwhile, the existing ferry terminals on the island and in Butterworth will be upgraded so that water buses and vehicle transporters can dock at the terminals.
This update is expected to take 12-18 months.
After that, the last of Penang’s old ferries will become floating museums, restaurants, and other tourist attractions.
Dr. Wee said that “the Chief Minister of Penang recognized by the Federal Government is none other than Chow Kon Yeow.”
He added that he and Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz would discuss any further decisions on the Penang ferry service with Chow.
Lim Guan Eng is the most shameless person! First, the Pakatan Harapan government also agreed …
Posted by Wee Ka Siong on Sunday, Dec 27, 2020
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