BALIK PULAU: Residents in Teluk Kumbar will continue to oppose the planned construction of a foreign worker dormitory in the area, including resorting to legal action in court.
Chairman of the Action Committee Against the Construction of Foreign Worker Dormitories in Teluk Kumbar, Prof Muhammad Idiris Saleh said their opposition would be voiced by his committee, representing the residents, to urge the state government to cancel the project.
“We have three strategies to ensure the proposed construction of the dormitory is cancelled by the state government, namely continuing our protest series by peacefully gathering with local residents and representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“Secondly, we will bring the residents’ opposition to the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), and thirdly, we will use legal aspects to bring the matter to court because the residents do not want the foreign worker dormitory to be built in the Teluk Kumbar area,“ he told reporters after a peaceful gathering to oppose the construction of the dormitory in Teluk Kumbar here today, involving more than 100 residents, political leaders, and NGOs.
Commenting further, Muhammad Idiris said the committee had also submitted a memorandum of opposition to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during his working visit to Penang on Feb 16.
“The protest memorandum to the Prime Minister was submitted through (Penang) Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohamad Abdul Hamid, and we hope our protest voice will be taken seriously by the Prime Minister,“ he said.
Meanwhile, he said the committee had also decided that no further discussions would be held with the project developer.
Last December, residents in Teluk Kumbar held a peaceful demonstration to oppose and urge the Penang state government to immediately cancel the project. – Bernama
