Hostel plan in Teluk Kumbar sparks exchange in Penang assembly

GEORGE TOWN: A proposed foreign workers’ hostel in Teluk Kumbar sparked a lively exchange in the Penang State Assembly.

Opposition Leader Mohd Fauzi Yusoff (PAS–Sungai Dua) renewed his stand that the project is unsuitable for the southern corridor.

Debating the 2026 state budget, he said the planned hostel tied to the Penang LRT Mutiara Line had raised serious concerns among residents in Teluk Kumbar and Batu Maung.

He said several MPs and assemblymen from the affected areas had also voiced objections, adding that he had recently received a memorandum from community groups rejecting the proposal outright.

“I want to make it clear that I reject the construction of a foreign workers’ hostel in Teluk Kumbar,” he said.

“Residents in Teluk Kumbar and Batu Maung do not agree with it, and several MPs and state assemblymen have also rejected this project,” added Mohd Fauzi.

He asked how many foreign workers would be brought in for the LRT project, where they would be housed and whether any social impact assessment was carried out.

His remarks drew an interjection from Lee Boon Heng (PH–Kebun Bunga), who said Mohd Fauzi could not take conflicting positions.

“YB Sungai Dua cannot have it both ways,” said Lee.

“He acknowledges that workers are needed for major projects and the industrial sector, but objects when a hostel is proposed near the Bayan Lepas industrial area,” he added.

He asked how the worker housing issue could be solved if every location is opposed.

Mohd Fauzi replied that if Lee supported the proposal so strongly, the hostel could be built in his constituency.

“If the Kebun Bunga assemblyman supports it so much, then build it in Kebun Bunga,” he said.

The remark highlighted impracticality as Kebun Bunga is about 15km from the Bayan Lepas industrial hub.