Gerakan’s Oh Tong Keong says it was PR and not BN that re-zoned the heritage village into commercial land.
GEORGE TOWN: Penang Gerakan secretary Oh Tong Keong said today that it was the Pakatan Rakyat state government that sub-divided the Siamese-Burmese village land in Pulau Tikus and earmarked the settlement as a commercial zone in December last year.
“So the allegation that the previous BN government under Gerakan re-zoned the village into a commercial area was a lie,” Oh told newsmen at the Gerakan office here today.
He said both Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Pulau Tikus assemblywoman Yap Soo Huey had misled the villagers by saying otherwise.
Oh said under the state Heritage Enactment 2011, the state government had the powers to gazette the area as a heritage zone.
“If the state government does not have the power, how did it reject a developer’s application for planning permission to demolish and redevelop the village twice, in 2009 and 2010?” he asked.
He pointed out that the Penang Island Municipal Council had also rejected developer Airmas Development Sdn Bhd’s application for planning permission in 2008.
“If the state government was sincere and honest, it could easily gazette the village as a heritage site,” said Oh.
Oh also explained that all the previous Barisan Nasional government did was re-zone the land in 1996 as a religious-cultural and commercial zone to mirror the development of the area then.
He said the 5,457sq metre village land was sub-divided to lots 10029 and 10030 under a micro-zoning process last year.
The village has an open space, a Burmese trust building and a row of shophouses.
After the sub-division exercise, Lot 10029 comprised the village and shophouses and Lot 10030, the Burmese trust building and open space.
“So the allegation that the previous BN government under Gerakan re-zoned the village into a commercial area was a lie,” Oh told newsmen at the Gerakan office here today.
He said both Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Pulau Tikus assemblywoman Yap Soo Huey had misled the villagers by saying otherwise.
Oh said under the state Heritage Enactment 2011, the state government had the powers to gazette the area as a heritage zone.
“If the state government does not have the power, how did it reject a developer’s application for planning permission to demolish and redevelop the village twice, in 2009 and 2010?” he asked.
He pointed out that the Penang Island Municipal Council had also rejected developer Airmas Development Sdn Bhd’s application for planning permission in 2008.
“If the state government was sincere and honest, it could easily gazette the village as a heritage site,” said Oh.
Oh also explained that all the previous Barisan Nasional government did was re-zone the land in 1996 as a religious-cultural and commercial zone to mirror the development of the area then.
He said the 5,457sq metre village land was sub-divided to lots 10029 and 10030 under a micro-zoning process last year.
The village has an open space, a Burmese trust building and a row of shophouses.
After the sub-division exercise, Lot 10029 comprised the village and shophouses and Lot 10030, the Burmese trust building and open space.
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