On 15 December, it was announced that the Penang ferry service between the island and the mainland would cease operation from 1 January 2021—much to the dismay of Malaysians. However, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz has said that the service will continue to operate.
On 17 December, former Finance Minister and Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng brought up the issue of the Penang ferry at Dewan Rakyat. He said that he hopes the current Finance Minister would help preserve the service.
“When I (was Finance Minister), I agreed to give RM30 million with the condition that the Penang ferry would keep operating. I hope an action would be taken so that the ferry service would keep operating,” said Lim Guan Eng.
He also continued saying that “it’s not a large amount of money”. He also hopes this generation will “preserve sweet memories” for the next generation.
“When we go to Penang and take the ferry, it’s an experience that we will not ever forget,” said Lim Guan Eng.
In response, Tengku Zafrul Aziz said that he acknowledged that the previous government promised RM30 million for Penang Port to take over the ferry service. He also said that the plan will continue with two separate payments.
“The first payment of RM15 million will be made in 2021, and has been included in the Supply Bill 2021,” he said.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow welcomes the announcement by Tengku Zafrul. He also said that he hopes “the iconic ferry will continue to serve Penangites and visitors”.
Previously, Penang Port would take over the Penang ferry service—which has been operating for 126 years and counting—starting 1 January 2021. The plan was that the old ferries would stop operating by 2022 and would be replaced with water buses and vehicle transporters.
Early this year, the present fleet of ferries repeatedly ran into technical problems. Those resulted in disruption to its service, and repairs were made difficult due to lack of spare parts.
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