Sulaiman: M-WEZ a rebranding, won't reclaim sea to Indonesia

Incumbent Malacca chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali criticised opponents for "spinning" the Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone (M-WEZ) project.

He said the project is "not new" but is only a case of rebranding and streamlining the various ongoing sea reclamation projects in the state.

He maintained that when the mega reclamation is completed, there will be new coastal areas to fish in and the project will not occupy the entire Straits of Malacca.

"I'm not reclaiming all the way to Indonesia. It's only 1.5km. Where is the loss of income?

"We will take care of the fisherfolk. We will build a better and more high-tech jetty for them," he told a press conference in Ayer Keroh, Malacca this evening.

He was responding to complaints that the mega reclamation project was hurting the livelihood of local fisherfolk as marine life has been purportedly driven away from the coastal area.

Sulaiman said reclamation works in Malacca have gone on for decades.

"The area is around 11,000 acres and 56 concessions have been approved for the sea reclamation works.

"To date, from the 11,000 acres, only 3,000 acres have been reclaimed and only 300 acres of that have been developed.

"So, to me, M-WEZ is not something new. It's been approved by past chief ministers but there was no detailed planning and coordination.

"How are we going to construct and reclaim if there isn't a master plan?" he asked.

Sulaiman said, as chief minister, he sought to create a coordinating agency to streamline the various reclamation works along the Malacca coastline.

Sulaiman, who is is defending the Lendu state seat and has also been nominated to return as the chief minister if BN wins in the Malacca polls, said his goal was to see Malacca become as developed as Singapore and Penang.

"We don't want to remain as a weekend tourism state. Only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, people will come. There's no one on other days. How long do we want to be like that?

"We need to rise up and move forward. We want to improve our fisherfolk as well so they won't only use sampan (raft) but become deep-sea fishermen," he said.

He questioned if his opponents wanted Malacca to fall behind on development. Both Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan have promised to review the project.

He also maintained that the fisherfolk will still be able to earn a living during and after the reclamation works.

The following is an exchange during the press conference today:

Q: The fishermen say they do not have the boat, engine, and net for deep-sea fishing. They can only fish along the coast. What's your response?

Sulaiman: We will also make a beach (from the reclamation). There are no worries about it.

Q: What about during the construction period, the fisherfolk can't get fish?

Sulaiman: It's still in the planning stage. Don't worry, there will be places to fish. We're not going to reclaim to Sumatra (Indonesia).

Q: They're not getting fish during the construction?

Sulaiman: During construction, they can still get fish, don't worry.

Q: But there's noise and vibration from the construction (that will disturb the fish)?

Sulaiman: No lah, even with the reclamation now they can get fish. There's already a Fisheries Impact Assessment (FIA). Everything has been accounted for. If it was not approved, it would not proceed.

It complied with all agencies - FIA, SIA (social impact assessment), HIA (health impact assessment). The construction only started once all were approved. If not, how can we start construction?

M-WEZ in BN's manifesto

As chief minister, Sulaiman touted the M-WEZ as a "game-changer" for the state's economic future.

M-WEZ was incorporated in BN's manifesto, with the coalition claiming it can generate some 10,000 jobs within five years. It will take up about half of Malacca's entire coastline.

Starting from the coast of Sungai Udang, it will extend along the coast of Pantai Kundor to Kelebang, Kesidang, Kota Laksamana, Bandar Hidir, Telok Mas and to the northern part of Serkam, covering a length of 33km.

It will involve extending the Malacca coast further out to sea, creating large swathes of new land to be developed into, among others, a harbour, business parks, townships, and a logistics centre.