GEORGE TOWN, March 18 — The Tanjung Bunga Residents’ Association (TBRA) has voiced continued concerns over the proposed upgrading of the Straits Green football field and adjacent seafront land, responding to a recent statement by State Exco Zairil Khir Johari.
While acknowledging assurances that the field will remain open to the public after school hours and on weekends, TBRA stressed that official meeting minutes from 19 February 2024 indicate the issue goes beyond maintenance and involves management and potential operational control of public parkland by Stonyhurst International School.
The association argued that fencing and controlled access would fundamentally alter the nature of the park, which has served the community for over two decades, and warned of broader state-wide implications if private management of public land becomes precedent.
TBRA also called for greater transparency, wider public consultation, and formal guarantees that public parks remain fully public in both principle and practice, reaffirming its commitment to defend community access ahead of a planned protest at Straits Green.
