Proposed migrant workers’ hostels a ‘time bomb’, says Amanah man
Bayan Lepas assemblyman Azrul Mahathir Aziz expressed concern for the safety of his children and his constituents as the migrant workers would be allowed to ‘move around’ and not be confined to their hostels.
GEORGE TOWN: A Pakatan Harapan (PH) assemblyman reiterated his objection to the proposed construction of three hostel complexes for 44,000 migrant workers in Teluk Kumbar and Sungai Batu, describing the project as a “ticking time bomb” that would create a lot of problems for the local communities.
Azrul Mahathir Aziz (PH-Bayan Lepas), in his debate on the motion of thanks for the governor’s address, said the tens of thousands of migrant workers that would stay in these hostels would cause a “demographic change” in Teluk Kumbar and Sungai Batu.
This, he said, would cause a lot of problems for the local populace.
“The people (of Teluk Kumbar and Sungai Batu) are worried about the social problems that would ensue such as safety issues, economic problems, religious problems, and facility sharing,” he said in the state assembly today.
“The most worrying part is the locals would feel confined and would feel like minorities in the middle of a ‘Bandaraya Antarabangsa Teluk Kumbar’ (Teluk Kumbar International City).
“We do not want these foreigners to become part-time fishermen, open stalls in the pasar malam (night markets) and disrupt the livelihood of the locals.”
Azrul, who is an Amanah member, also expressed concern for the safety of his children and his constituents as the migrant workers would be allowed to “move around” and not be confined to their hostels, adding that there were a lot of schools around the proposed sites for the hostels.
He also raised the issue of low water pressure problems faced by Teluk Kumbar residents, questioning whether the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) was prepared to fulfil additional water supply demands coming from more than 40,000 migrant workers.
He questioned why the project had been proposed for Teluk Kumbar and Sungai Batu, saying these areas do not have churches for Christian migrant workers, and their mosques could not bear the increased number of congregants.
He added that while he does not oppose the construction of hostels for these workers who work in the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone, he prefers that the project site be relocated to Bayan Lepas, especially on the land owned by Penang Development Corporation (PDC).
The proposed contribution of three hostel complexes – two in Teluk Kumbar and one in Sungai Batu – have drawn criticism from local communities, who had organised several peaceful demonstrations since last year.
Meanwhile, Penang housing and local government committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said the construction of hostels for migrant workers in the state is a long-term solution to resolve the problem of migrant workers living in housing areas with the local residents.
In a written answer to Penang assemblyman Yusni Mat Piah, he said while the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 allowed housing areas to be converted into hostels – as long as they fulfilled the technical conditions – the state government was against housing them in low-cost flats, low-cost neighbourhoods, and villages.
GEORGE TOWN: A Pakatan Harapan (PH) assemblyman reiterated his objection to the proposed construction of three hostel complexes for 44,000 migrant workers in Teluk Kumbar and Sungai Batu, describing the project as a “ticking time bomb” that would create a lot of problems for the local communities.
Azrul Mahathir Aziz (PH-Bayan Lepas), in his debate on the motion of thanks for the governor’s address, said the tens of thousands of migrant workers that would stay in these hostels would cause a “demographic change” in Teluk Kumbar and Sungai Batu.
This, he said, would cause a lot of problems for the local populace.
“The people (of Teluk Kumbar and Sungai Batu) are worried about the social problems that would ensue such as safety issues, economic problems, religious problems, and facility sharing,” he said in the state assembly today.
“The most worrying part is the locals would feel confined and would feel like minorities in the middle of a ‘Bandaraya Antarabangsa Teluk Kumbar’ (Teluk Kumbar International City).
“We do not want these foreigners to become part-time fishermen, open stalls in the pasar malam (night markets) and disrupt the livelihood of the locals.”
Azrul, who is an Amanah member, also expressed concern for the safety of his children and his constituents as the migrant workers would be allowed to “move around” and not be confined to their hostels, adding that there were a lot of schools around the proposed sites for the hostels.
He also raised the issue of low water pressure problems faced by Teluk Kumbar residents, questioning whether the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) was prepared to fulfil additional water supply demands coming from more than 40,000 migrant workers.
He questioned why the project had been proposed for Teluk Kumbar and Sungai Batu, saying these areas do not have churches for Christian migrant workers, and their mosques could not bear the increased number of congregants.
He added that while he does not oppose the construction of hostels for these workers who work in the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone, he prefers that the project site be relocated to Bayan Lepas, especially on the land owned by Penang Development Corporation (PDC).
The proposed contribution of three hostel complexes – two in Teluk Kumbar and one in Sungai Batu – have drawn criticism from local communities, who had organised several peaceful demonstrations since last year.
Meanwhile, Penang housing and local government committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said the construction of hostels for migrant workers in the state is a long-term solution to resolve the problem of migrant workers living in housing areas with the local residents.
In a written answer to Penang assemblyman Yusni Mat Piah, he said while the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 allowed housing areas to be converted into hostels – as long as they fulfilled the technical conditions – the state government was against housing them in low-cost flats, low-cost neighbourhoods, and villages.
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