The Penang DAP CAT (competency, accountability and transparency) government is practising a “fake kind of democracy” when dealing with illegal telecommunication towers, says the party’s arch rival, Gerakan.

NONEState Gerakan publicity, information and communications bureau chief Dr Thor Theong Ghee (right) said the DAP, when it was not in government before 2008, used to protest fiercely against the illegal towers for negatively impacting on people’s health.

However, the state government has failed to take action against 175 illegal towers operating in the island and mainland even after giving the operators three deadlines: on Dec 31, 2009, and June 30 and Dec 31 last year, he added.

“Now that the party is in power, not only are illegal towers allowed to operate, a DAP leader had even suggested that protesters be dealt with under the Internal Security Act, a law they themselves are totally against,” said Thor during a press conference at the state party’s headquarters in Penang today.

“About two months ago, the DAP leader had also suggested that if the towers were dismantled, the operators should take legal action against the protesters for loss of business,” he added.

“After three years, the CAT government begins to show signs of practising a fake or pirated democracy with multiple effects,” he added.

In March, Penang Telecommunications Task Force chairman Jeff Ooi had said there were now 135 illegal transmission towers in the state and their demolition would adversely impact 551,000 subscribers.

In May last year, Ooi, who is Jelutong MP, was lambasted by the Penang Electromagnetic Field Alliance for threatening that he will use all federal laws including the ISA to deal with the protesters.

He had then accused them of “spreading unfounded rumours and unsubstantiated data” and questioned the NGOs’ credibility.

State MCA adviser Koay Kar Huah has also slammed Ooi for suggesting that affected telco companies take legal action against NGOs which are against the towers in the state, and for saying the operators should sue BN coordinators first for helping residents affected by the structures.

Cuttings of DAP protest in 2001

Thor then showed reporters newspaper cuttings in 2001 which reported on a DAP protest against illegal telco towers involving current Penang state exco members Chow Kon Yeow (Padang Kota assemblyperson and Tanjung MP) and Danny Law (Batu Lanchang assemblyperson).

He also told reporters that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, while fishing for votes for his party in the Machap by-election in Melaka in March 2007, had protested against illegal telco towers by urging the state government to “listen to the residents’ feedback, allow participation in decision-making and practise transparency in governance”.

“What is more important, Lim said the authorities should not allow the telco towers without permits to affect health especially if they are located near schools,” said Thor.

“But see what happens after he becomes Penang chief minister? After three years, still blaming others while asking the telco companies to sue the rakyat whose health is affected by the towers,” he added.

“What kind of government is this? Are they interested only in business?” he asked.

Thor said Gerakan is not asking for all telco towers to be dismantled, only those which did not follow federal guidelines and are erected very near residential homes and schools.

The municipal guidelines (for Penang and Seberang Perai) say that telco towers may only be built  20-30 metres from the two types of locations.

He urged the state to declare how many towers have been dismantled since the first deadline in 2009 had expired, saying that the previous government used to follow the federal guidelines very closely.

However, when Thor was asked to clarify why illegal telco towers existed in the past (before 2008) if the Gerakan-led government had followed the guidelines closely, he said, “There was a grace period for the towers to be dismantled, as in the past there were no proper guidelines from the federal government. These were only put in place in 2006 when the industry flourished.”

“It’s true, we cannot deny that there were illegal towers before, but we respected the grace period so that these operators can apply for a proper permit,” he added.