Q: What is happening at Pengerang, Johor?
A: The government is planning to transform Pengerang into a petroleum processing centre, as well as a petroleum and natural gas hub at the Asia-Pacific region. To achieve this goal, the government is expropriating (forcefully taking away) the locals’ lands and homes, causing strong resentment and dissatisfaction among the people. Moreover, this project can cause unimaginable environmental damage to the surrounding area.
Q: Who is behind this project?
A: As far as we know for now, [1] Dialog Group Berhad and Royal Vopak (a Netherlands company providing conditioned storage facilities for bulk liquids) joined ventures to build a storage terminal worth RM5 billion. [2] Petronas had invested around RM50 billion in the Refinery And Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project in Pengerang, Johor. The Johor government held shares for both projects.
Q: What is the progress for the projects?
A: At the end of November 2011, Dialog Group Berhad’s executive chairman Ngau Boon Keat stated that the petroleum storage terminal at Sungai Sengit, Pengerang will be completed at 2014. Its capacity can reach 5 million cubic meters. He said Singapore’s storage terminal took 30 years to reach 10 million cubic meters, yet they (Dialog and Vopak) took only five to six years.
It was told that the terminal can create forty thousand job oppurtunities, but the relevant authorities did not release any information regarding the ratio between the skilled and menial labour needed, and whether the "job oppurtunities" will benefit the local population.
The government will claim the lands at Kampung Sungai Kapal, Sungai Buntu, Teluk Empang, Kampung Jawa, Kampung Sebong, Langkah Baik and Batu Mas. 1000 homes, 927 families and 3122 villagers will be affected.
The land claiming will start at April 2012. The authorities are telling the people affected to keep calm and wait patiently for the results of land pricing, for land at different areas will be priced differently. Some land estate agents are already going around te area claiming that the payment offered by the government is lower than the market price.
It is yet known if the people will ever benefit from the projects, but it is confirmed that they will be compromised.
Pengerang is well-known for its seafood and beautiful beaches. When the storage terminal is built, the local marine ecosystem and beaches will be harmed, thus destroying its tourism industry.
No one is spared, even if they are unaffected by the land claiming and the fall of the local tourism industries. The pollution caused by such heavy industries can threathen the health of the locals, therefore harming the people living nearby.
Let us all stand up as one to protect Pengerang, don't let her and her people fall prey due to the government's actions!
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