Malaysia – A petition has been set up against the proposed Penang International Convention Centre (PICC) in Relau.
Engineer Tan Seng Hai, who initiated the protest petition, says it is questionable whether the proposed US$14m PICC can attract foreign exhibitors without a hotel or an auditorium. He said this was because there were better-equipped convention centres in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok.
The online petition addressed to the chief minister of Penang YB Lim Guan Eng must raise at least 2,000 signatures by 15 January. The current count is 138.
Seng Hai points out also that there has been no feasibility study to justify the building of the PICC, and that the Penang Municipal Council risked bankruptcy if it went ahead with the project.
“The council has a projected budget deficit of US$11m for the fiscal year 2010,” says Seng Hai, adding that the estimated cost of the PICC is more than US$14m, and that is without considering the maintenance cost. “A PICC will not guarantee better utilisation and will ultimately be a waste of public funds.”
Chief minister Lim Guan Eng, speaking on 22 December, encouraged anyone who felt the PICC project was too costly to apply through the tender process to build it at a lower price.
