Thousands gather ahead of Dr Wee's forum on Penang tunnel issue

Dr Tan speaking at the forum before Dr Wee is scheduled to give a talk.

BUTTERWORTH: Thousands of Penangites have gathered for the talk by Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong on the Penang undersea tunnel project.

Mostly mainlanders, they arrived in droves and waited at the Tan Si Eng Chuan Tong Association hall in Kampung Paya here, for the forum titled “Political talk on Penang’s truth" from about 6.30pm Friday (March 30).

Dr Wee, who is MCA deputy president and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, is a trained civil engineer with a doctorate in transport planning.

He is expected to present his views on several matters on the controversial tunnel project.

Penang MCA organising secretary Dr Tan Chuan Hong, who spoke first at 8.10pm, raised the issue of a new pedestrian bridge built near a school here by a businessman from Bagan.

"The state government boasted that they did not need to pay a single sen to build the bridge.

"But they forgot to mention that they gave the right to a businessman to collect billboard advertising fees for 21 years," claimed Tan, raising the issue of cronyism.

The Penang tunnel project came under renewed scrutiny by Barisan Nasional following a fresh probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in January.

The proposed 7.2km undersea tunnel will connect George Town’s Pangkor Road and Bagan Ajam in Butterworth.

It is scheduled to begin in 2023.

The three main roads stretch from Air Itam to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (5.7km), Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang (10.53km), and Jalan Pangkor-Gurney Drive junction to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu