GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Island City Council has lodged a police report regarding the dissemination of a viral video that allegedly contains false accusations about the development of shophouses in the Northeast District here.
In a statement, the Council said it had also reported the matter to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) regarding the video that was uploaded to TikTok application on Dec 1.
"The video contains various false, biased, unfounded and defamatory accusations against the council. The council stresses that all statements in the video are false and baseless, and may mislead the public and tarnish the council's reputation as the local authority.
"The police are currently conducting an investigation into the report lodged by the council, and if any party brings this case to court, the council is ready to face it and give the necessary cooperation," the statement read on Wednesday (Dec 3).
The council explained that M/S Brilliantcap Holdings submitted an application for Planning Permission for the development on those lots on June 9, 2016.
The statement informed that a written notice was also issued to 10 owners of adjacent lots to inform them of their right to submit objections to the application in accordance with the provisions of Section 21(6) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976, but no objections were received by the council until the deadline.
The council said the One Stop Centre Committee Meeting on Feb 21, 2017, approved the application, and the committee approved the building plan for the project on Oct 20, 2021, after all technical departments provided their feedback.
"The Commencement of Work approval was obtained on Dec 15, 2022, covering the proposal to erect eight units of three-storey shophouses on Jalan Kampung Relau and one block of three-storey shophouses on Lorong Relau 3, located on Lots 1857, 11096, and 6555, Mukim 13, Northeast," the statement said.
The council informed that the Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) Report for the development was also approved on Nov 5, 2015, while the Fire and Rescue Department Approval Plan for the proposed development was obtained on June 28, 2016, which was before the formal approval of the Planning Permission Application was granted by the committee.
The council stressed that it remains open to any official queries or discussions and encourages all parties to obtain complete information before making claims on social media.
Last Monday (Dec 1), a TikTok user uploaded a video titled 'Tiada Perjuangan Tanpa Pengorbanan' (No Struggle Without Sacrifice), which, among other things, questioned the council's action in approving a commercial project adjacent to a residential area. – Bernama
