PAS an ‘incompetent’ government in Terengganu

 

The 72km coastal road journey from Kuala Terengganu to Kuala Besut is pleasant and scenic.

The view of the sea is mesmerising, as is the land, dotted by wooden “kampung” houses alternating between casuarinas and coconut palms. The beaches, reputed to be some of the finest in the country, look clean and inviting, and the calm blue sea appears warm and harmless.

A single lane, contra-flow JKR-built road stretches all the way to my destination. It could do with more safety features – properly laid out junctions, lay-bys, and surely streetlights, too. I imagine it is pitch black along this road at night.

One-third of the way along the road is Merang – not to be confused with Marang – from where one can catch a boat to the islands of Redang, Bidong and Lang Tengah.

Pulau Perhentian

Kuala Besut is situated at the confluence of Sungai Besut and the South China Sea. The view from the bridge reminds me of Marang, but without the breakwater. For tourists who arrive by air via the Kota Bharu airport or by land, this is the staging point to get across to the famous Pulau Perhentian.

Mat Nor, fondly known as Mat Nong, and his mates, Rhohing (Rahim), Mat Ngoh (Ahmad Ngah) and Lang (Roslan) were waiting for me at a local coffee shop on the other side of the river.

On the other side of a 600m bridge is what the locals called “Seberang”, just 2.5km away from the Kelantan border and about 28km from Kota Bharu. That explains why the people here speak the Kelantanese dialect rather than the common Terengganu lingo.

I often boast to my kids about my ability to speak seven different dialects: those used in Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Perak and Sarawak, over and above the standard Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia.

When you share a common language with someone, all barriers come down and friendship fosters.

Mat Nong and his mates were excited to see me in person. We conversed in a mixture of the Kelantanese dialect, with English words thrown in every now and again.

They had pre-ordered a whole green coconut for me, some fried “keropok lekor” and Terengganu’s famous ICT.

No, ICT in this context has nothing to do with information and communication technology. It stands for “ikang celup tepung”, a popular and well-known dish here where fish are fresh and plentiful.

Mat Nong proudly explained to me how the boat management system works and the queuing arrangement used at Kuala Besut jetty.

A co-operative, owned by the fishing community, implemented the system several years ago. It still works well – to the satisfaction of all boat owners and operators – ferrying tourists to Perhentian as well as to Redang.

Each boat follows a queue and awaits its turn, departing as soon as it is full or almost full. No overloading is allowed. Each boat is well stocked with life jackets which must be worn by all passengers. In short, boat operators are their own regulators.

‘Underwater’ breakwater

We were enjoying the “keropok” and ICT, when Lang suddenly broke into a rant about the current state government, which he said was incapable of governing properly, even for one term.

“They are incompetent, even stupid, and must not get re-elected,” he said. His description left us laughing, and prompted Mat Nong to ask for examples.

“Oh, there are many. Where do I begin? The breakwater project cancellation? The Redang redevelopment? New Zealand holidays? The sale of government land to one of their wives?” The last one elicited much laughter.

“Is there a breakwater here,” I asked, puzzled as I could not see any. “It was not visible to me from the bridge just now,” I insisted.

“Aha!” Rhohing jumped in. “It is underwater!” That cued up another loud burst of laughter.

Lang said a big breakwater contract was awarded in 2017 which involved more than a hundred million ringgit. The contractor started work in early 2018 but by the month of May the state government changed hands, and PAS came into power.

The new state government wanted to cancel the contract, but could not because it had been awarded by a federal ministry.

In March 2020, following the Sheraton Move, the PAS minister in charge cancelled the contract. The contractor received no payment and incurred losses, and boat operators did not get any breakwater.

The breakwater’s foundation, built underwater, has remained there for almost two years.

Redang airport

“What about the expansion to the Redang airport,” I asked, moving to my next curiosity.

“Yes, lack of knowledge can be a dangerous thing,” said Mat Ngoh.

“This whole area around the islands is gazetted as national marine park under ‘jabatan taman laut’, but the PAS government wants to develop it into an exclusive resort,” he continued, adding that the airport extension is part of that development.

“But it will require reclamation and will spoil Redang, damage marine life, and destroy all the corals,” argued Mat Ngoh.

“If he is serious about building an airport to serve tourists, the menteri besar can look to the Gong Kedak airport in Jerteh, which is only 7km away. Tourists can land there, come to this jetty, and go by boat to the islands,” he added.

That will allow us to continue with our boat business,” said Rhohing.

“Yes, otherwise we all die,” said Lang.

“And go to heaven,” added Mat Ngoh, to more laughter all around.

Kuala Besut has been a safe Umno seat for many elections. The party holds three out of the four state seats within the Besut parliamentary seat, which was also by Umno. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.