No order to deny Guan Eng last ride on ferry - Penang Police

GEORGE TOWN: Penang police have denied issuing any order to prevent former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng from taking a ride on the state’s iconic ferry service today, the last day it will carry four-wheelers and pedestrians.

"I do not want to comment further but I want to say that there has been no warning or directive about disallowing him (Lim Guan Eng) to take the ferry as alleged,” Penang police chief Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan told Bernama when contacted today.

Lim, who is Bagan Member of Parliament, claimed in his Facebook posting yesterday that Penang police had warned him against taking the ferry service at 10 am today.

Lim, a former finance minister, said he was surprised with the order as he merely wanted to take a farewell ride on the 126-year-old ferry service.

Nevertheless, Lim and about 100 of his supporters took the ferry from Pangkalan Raja Uda ferry terminal here to Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim terminal in Butterworth today.

Speaking to reporters, Lim said he would continue fighting for the continuation of the ferry service.

He said the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government could maintain the ferry service by providing sufficient allocations for its maintenance.

Meanwhile, MCA today criticised Lim for his statements on the ferry issue, saying they were inconsistent and confusing.

Penang MCA Youth chief Lim Swee Bok said Lim, who is also Air Putih state assemblyman, should understand that the federal government merely wanted to upgrade the ferry service in a bid to make it more viable to attract tourists and boost the state’s economy.

"Does Lim still remember that when he was chief minister in 2008 he had repeatedly asked the federal government to replace the Penang Hill funicular railway system because of the frequent service breakdowns?

"As a result, in 2011 the then Tourism Ministry bought a third-generation Swiss-made cable car costing RM73 million to replace the iconic funicular trains. However, when it involves upgrading the Penang ferry service, he opposed the suggestion,” he told reporters here today.

Last week, Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) announced that beginning Jan 1, 2021, only two ferries would remain in service to carry two-wheelers while pedestrians have to travel on fast boats, pending the switch to catamarans under the upgraded service in 2022.

-- BERNAMA