LETTER | PSR - balance environmental protection with social protection

LETTER | We refer to the statement by the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) that calls for the cancellation of the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.

We acknowledge the need to protect the environment but not at the expense of causing Penangites to lose their jobs, especially during the current pandemic crisis.

The PSR project is now providing employment to Penangites and will create more job opportunities when the construction work starts. This will certainly help job-seekers in the state especially those who are retrenched due to the crippled economy.

CAP and SAM should not be deaf to the plight of Penangites who are desperate for jobs. A recent survey reported that eight out of 10 retrenched Malaysians are actively job hunting.

Instead of promoting job creation, CAP and SAM are asking for the elimination of existing jobs and the cancellation of future job opportunities. This is irresponsible and inconsiderate.

We acknowledge the environmental impact of development but the anthropogenic effect is ubiquitous, from the agricultural activities that provide food for our consumption to building dams for water security to clearing large patches of land for solar farms. 

Almost everything that we do in the modern world contributes directly and indirectly to the natural ecosystem.

Therefore the environmental impact of a project must be mitigated instead of stopping the development of the project entirely. 

The environmental impact of the PSR project can be traded off with environmental nourishing initiatives which is now a widely accepted practice around the world.

Environmental protection must be balanced with social protection. It is socially irresponsible and inhumane to destroy jobs and threaten the sustenance of families at a time when Penang is facing probably its worst economic crisis to date.

The environment must be protected but not at the expense of eliminating jobs.

The writer is chairperson, Penang Sustainable Environment Association.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.