The Petition is addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Works, the Chief Minister of Penang, Deputy Chief Minister Penang, the Director General of the Department of Environment and relevant MPs and State Assemblymen.

The petition expresses our extreme regret that we have been kept in the dark about the proposed alignment of PORR and the effect it will have on our lives.

We are concerned that the PORR will result in the following:

	Peaceful neighbourhoods transformed into noisy and dusty areas
	Effect on property values
	Properties including houses that will be acquired for the road
	The transformation of the Youth Park
	The loss of the existing Gurney Drive
	Give rise to adverse impacts due to reclamation works
	The leveling of hills and the destruction of ancient trees
	The dislocation of places of worship and graveyards
	Valuable public lands given to Peninsular Metroworks - the project developer

We understand that the project will affect more than 150,000 people on the island, or over 20% of the population of the island. Thousands more will be affected due to the loss of Gurney Drive and the transformation of the Youth Park.

We are also concerned with recent announcements that the Penang Turf Club which is affected by the PORR, is being sold to private developers. We fear that this valuable green lung area and open space will make way for further commercial projects.

With the PORR leading to such significant impacts, we are outraged that no efforts have been made to inform or consult the affected people or the general public before the approval of the project.

We have learnt that no detailed Environmental Impact Assessment reports have been conducted for the PORR. If a detailed EIA was commissioned, it would have accorded the general public and the affected communities a right to be heard, prior to the approval of the EIA.

Further, the right to live in a reasonably healthy and a pollution free environment is a constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right of every citizen of this country. Since the construction of the PORR and the consequent movement of thousands of vehicles though our neighbourhoods will seriously impair our quality of life, we should have been given the right to be heard before this project was approved by the Government.

We have been denied our fundamental right to be heard.

We understand that a preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment for Package A of the project was submitted on behalf of the Federal Government and approved by the Director General of Environment. The preliminary EIA process did not provide us an opportunity to be heard.

We firmly believe that the preliminary EIA is seriously flawed as it did not consider other possible sustainable transport options in place of the PORR to alleviate the traffic congestion in Penang. This is a key guideline in the preparation of all EIAs, including a preliminary one.

We are unable to understand how a project of this nature with significant environmental and social impacts can be approved both by the DOE and the Federal and State Governments without any public consultation and feedback.

Even in the process of drawing up Structure Plans and Local Plans under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976, public feedback and comments are a legal requirement.

We therefore appeal to the Federal and State Governments to:

1. Immediately halt the project and make public the full details of the road alignment and the proposals for land reclamation;

2. Commission detailed Environmental and Social Impact Assessments for all stages/packages of the proposed PORR and seek public feedback and inputs in the review of the EIAs;

3. Hold a forum to discuss and seek feedback on all other forms of sustainable transport options for Penang;

4. Make public the terms of the concession agreement between the project developer and the Government.

5. Retain the Penang Turf Club area has an open space and public park for the people of Penang.

Members of the public who are interested in joining the citizens' coalition and want to sign on to the petition are requested to contact :

'The PORR Ad-Hoc Committee', CAP, 228, Macalister Road, 10400, Penang; telephone number: 04-2293511 and fax: 04-2298106.

……………………………
S.M. Mohammed Idris,
President