‘Delay sends wrong message': Environmental group questions Penang's decision to not gazette Middle Bank as marine sanctuary

Malay Mail

21-05-2025

GEORGE TOWN, May 21 — Pertubuhan Jaringan Ekologi dan Iklim Pulau Pinang (Jedi) has called on the Penang state government to immediately gazette Middle Bank as a marine sanctuary due to its role as a carbon sink that strengthens climate resilience.
Jedi spokesman Andrew Han said the Middle Bank is one of the last surviving seagrass meadows in Peninsular Malaysia.
'It is not just a natural treasure, it is an ecological life support system," he said in a statement today.
'It supports the livelihoods of coastal fishers, contributes to Penang's food security, and serves as a carbon sink that strengthens climate resilience,' he added.
Han was responding to state executive councillor H'ng Mooi Lye's remarks that the Penang government currently has no plans to gazette the Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary.
H'ng had said doing so would classify it as an environmentally sensitive area and trigger stricter environmental requirements for nearby developments, including the Jelutong landfill rehabilitation.
Han claimed residents were not adequately informed about the scope of the landfill rehabilitation project, which involves sea reclamation and the proposed construction of a waste-to-energy processing facility near homes, schools, and public spaces.
'Delaying or denying protection to Middle Bank in the name of project continuity sends the wrong message to residents, especially those living near Karpal Singh Drive and Jelutong who are already concerned about health, environmental degradation, and broken promises over coastal development,' Han added.
He called on the state government to reassess the reclamation and waste to energy plant project near Karpal Singh Drive and engage with stakeholders by holding dialogue sessions on the project.
H'ng, in his winding-up speech at the legislative assembly, said the state can gazette the Middle Bank as an environmentally sensitive area after the projects in the area have completed.
'If the project is cancelled, it will give the state a negative image and this also lead to a loss in opportunity to generate revenue through rehabilitation of the landfill,' he said.
However, he noted that if the project fails to obtain an Environmental Impact Assessment Report approval before February 28, 2026, the state reserves the right not to continue with the development agreement for the project.