GEORGE TOWN, July 24 – Penang Chief Minister hold a press conference at Tanjung City Marina, Georgetown, Penang to told Putrajaya stop blaming the State Government that the matter was under federal jurisdiction with Penang State Government have no power to control on it. For over last eight years, federal government also did not contact or inform the State Government about this development plan.
“Transport Ministry also did not inform us any expansion plans on the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal. We did not received any consulted by the ministry on the things that still on going at there with what ships come in Penang and leave Penang but in the ministry issued a statement yesterday to blamed Penang State Government for hampering its expansion plans for the cruise terminal,” said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
“Besides that, I was very surprised that the ministry was trying to link the land title issue with the loss of Star Cruises’ SuperStar Libra together and start blaming us did not upgrade facilities and expand the terminal which causes Star Cruises moving its Superstar Libra homeport to Xiamen, China,” said CM Lim.
“I also would like to urged Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai to come over Penang to look after the situation with taking a responsibility on the terminal’s failure here to retain the Star Cruises in Penang instead of blaming us when the matter does not fall under our control,” he said.
Meanwhile, CM Lim added that the RM43 million Tanjung City Marina project “that sank into the sea” which used of 102 berths for boats, yachts and catamarans are all gone. In the same time, the Star Cruises which sailed to Krabi and Phuket once a week also had made an announced last week that they have decided to leave Penang with stop its Krabi cruise and move its Superstar Libra home port to Xiamen, China.
