`


THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
read:
MALAYSIA Tanah Tumpah Darahku

LOVE MALAYSIA!!!


 


Thursday, December 14, 2017

Will Pangkor be transformed for the better?

Authorities shouldn't make the same mistakes they did with Langkawi, writer warns.
COMMENT
pangkor_tax-free_600
By CY Ming
When tabling Budget 2018 in Parliament on Oct 27, Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is also finance minister, declared that Pangkor would be made a tax-free island.
The announcement was enthusiastically welcomed by Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir, who is also Pangkor state assemblyman. He said it would boost tourism and have a positive impact on the economy of those living on the island.
But unlike duty-free Langkawi, exemptions will not be given for alcoholic beverages, tobacco and motor vehicles. Zamry was quick to point out there are many other products that could be included and recognised as duty-free, including chocolates, clothes, accessories and crockery.
However, this was shot down by Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham. He predicted that residents and visitors to the island would have to go through the hassle of being checked by customs officers, and that curbing smuggling activities incurs extra expenditure.
He said it would make more sense to make Pangkor a “GST-free” area, and proposed that all goods sold in the island be subjected to normal taxes except the goods and services tax (GST), as this alone would boost tourism and the island’s economy.
Last year, Pangkor received more than a million visitors, with an overwhelming majority travelling by road to Lumut and taking a short ferry ride to the island.
The road journey from Kuala Lumpur takes more than three hours but will be reduced to only 90 minutes once the new 233km West Coast Expressway linking Banting to Taiping is completed in 2019.
As such, Pangkor is set for an influx of visitors, with or without tax-free status. But rapid changes are bound to bring shocks to the local economy, impacting the islanders with more negative aspects than positive.
It would be wise for the authorities not to repeat the mistakes made in Langkawi, which could absorb the brunt better than Pangkor, as the size of the main island is 320 sq km, 18 times larger than Pangkor at only 18 sq km.
Visitors at the popular Jalan Pantai Cenang in Langkawi do not feel like they are at a seaside resort, and a picture of the street would look like any other inland town. This is because shops and buildings line both sides of the street, with no view of the sea or sound of the waves.
From the very beginning, there should have been no construction from the shore to the road, so that pedestrians, shoppers, diners, guests and residents could enjoy an unobstructed view of the beach, boats and sea. If Pantai Cenang had developed along this concept, it would be known as the Golden Mile today.
Instead, the stretch is not appealing to foreign tourists who have been to better seaside resorts, and too expensive for most domestic tourists, who find prices are much lower in Kuah town. Near Pantai Cenang is Pantai Tengah, with an array of empty or abandoned shops and restaurants.
The total number of visitors to Langkawi has stagnated at around 3.6 million a year. As such, the authorities should decide on the targeted growth of visitors to Pangkor to ensure sustainability, as the small island already houses 30,000 local inhabitants.
Because of its hilly terrain, 85% of the island is still covered with virgin jungle. This, together with its sandy beaches, tiny idyllic islands and crystal clear waters, makes Pangkor pristine, but it could easily suffer irreversible damage through indiscriminate development.
Lest it becomes a cowboy town, the first concrete step to upgrade tourism is to look into the plight of taxi drivers on the island.
They have to rent old vans without air-conditioning and wait long hours for customers, often losing out to touts accosting visitors upon arrival. These licensed drivers should be awarded individual taxi permits and the touts apprehended.
The planning of tourism facilities must be carefully thought out and construction controlled, otherwise they will mushroom and collapse just as quickly, and the ones left to suffer most would be the islanders.
But the greed of man knows no bounds, and it is more likely that many development projects will be approved and carried out in the name of the rakyat.
CY Ming is an FMT reader.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.