Press Statement by the Fisherfolk affected by STP2 Reclamation
31 July 2019

We are fisherfolk from Tanjung Bungah, Tanjung Tokong, Gurney Drive and Tanjung Tokong. We would like to support our fellow fishermen in their objections against the Butterworth Waterfront Reclamation. Therefore, we would also like to relate about our own experience before STP2 started in 2015.

TOKEN PAYMENT (saguhati): On 3 July 2015, during the month of Ramadhan, we were invited to Straits Quay for a Buka Puasa. Before that, the fisherfolks were already outside Straits Quay protesting. We were given a briefing by the developer and told that everything had been approved. Before entering the hall, we were told to sign an attendance list first. Based on that attendance list, we were each given a cheque in front of the press. Each fisherman (tekong) was paid RM15,000 while each assistant crew (awak-awak) was paid RM2,000 per person.  Altogether 116 fishermen and 56 assistant crew were paid. Then, on 30 October, another 31 fishermen and 13 awak-awak were paid.

Later, we realized that this “ex-gratia payment” was only a token (saguhati) to fisherfolk affected by STP2. We were told that if we didn’t accept the cheque then, we would not get paid anything else. We were not consulted about the compensation, and the Persatuan Nelayan Pulau Pinang chief fisherman was bypassed. The token is not a proper compensation for our loss of livelihood.

DECLINING CATCH: About six months after the reclamation started, our fish, prawn and crab catch started to decline in both quantity and the types of seafood we can catch. Now, we are earning only a quarter or at the most half of what we used to earn but with longer fishing hours. We find it extremely hard to make ends meet.

On Tuesday (23 July 2019), we heard our fellow fishermen in Bagan Ajam talking about the declining fish catch, especially ikan kembung, after the STP Reclamation started.  This means that the effects of STP2 are not only felt by us, but by our fellow fishermen on the other shore.

ENVIRONMENT: The water quality has turned from clean to cloudy or muddy. Sometimes our nets are torn by rocks, pipes and metal rods that are underwater. Last month (June), when we cast our nets, they come out black due to some unknown effluents in the water which also caused mass deaths among the mariculture fish in Teluk Bahang.
DEMANDS: There was a study done about what the fishermen would like the developer to do for them. We asked for a number of things, including a fishermen’s jetty. We were given the impression that the Penang Sta te Government would ask the developer to grant some of the demands, especially those which were reasonable and generally agreed upon. We have also submitted a letter under the cover letter of the Komuniti Nelayan Pengkalan Tanjung Tokong Pulau Pinang with 11 specific demands, collectively for the fishermen at Paramount, Gurney Drive, Tanjung Tokong and Tanjung Bungah, as attached to this letter.
At the outset, we strongly urge the government and developer to:

a)    to revisit the plight of the fishermen community affected by STP2

b)    to provide support and welfare to the fishermen who are suffering due to the impacts of STP2

c)     to study the impacts of STP2 on the environment and water quality

d)    to release the list of demands that was compiled in the study, and to fulfill those demands prioritized in consultation with us

e)    to stop any further reclamation around Penang, at least until the first three conditions have been fulfilled

PRESS COVERAGE

Malay Mail
Don’t be fooled into taking money, Tanjong Tokong fishermen tell southern counterparts

Free Malaysia Today
Reclamation hurt us badly, say Tanjung Tokong fishermen

New Straits Times
Penang fishermen wary of PSR

The Star
Tanjung Tokong fishermen say compensation is inadequate

Berita Harian
'Jadikan kami pengajaran

Utusan Malaysia
Tambak laut: Ambil iktibar nasib nelayan di Timur Laut

Kwong Wah Yit Poh
[Gurney Waterfront Reclamation: Plan Tanjung Tokong Fishermen's Association - 80% of nearby seafood disappears]

China Press
[We are Victims of Reclamation: 4 fishermen's organisations in Northeast - Don't be Misled]