Beach boys cry foul

BEACH and water sports operators, commonly known as the ‘beach boys’ in Penang, are crying foul over the state government’s ban on horses and beach buggies (all-terrain vehicle) along the Batu Ferringhi tourism belt. Claiming that they have been there before the hotels were even built, the beach boys maintained that their contributions to the beach’s safety and tourist sector had gone unnoticed. “When the (2004) tsunami hit, who informed the tourists and guests?
“We had heard about the waves from our sister companies in Langkawi that had been affected earlier. “So, all the beach boys ran along the beach yelling at everyone to get off the beach.
“Dozens of people died on Miami Beach (bordering the road leading to the Batu Ferringhi tourism belt) but not one person was lost on the Batu Ferringhi beach.

“Now, the hotels have all forgotten about that,” said M. Navukkarasu, 45, who operates jet skiing and parasailing on the beach near Golden Sands Resort. Beach buggy and water sports operator M. Mahendren said unlicensed water and beach operators doubled up as lifeguards on the Batu Ferringhi beach front. “Look around, there are no lifeguards on this beach. “When people are struggling or having trouble in the water, who do you think jumps in to save them?” said Mahendren, who has been operating parasailing, jet skis and buggies for over 20 years. The 44-year-old said each beach boy in Batu Ferringhi could go on record for having to change several handphones each year as a result of aiding tourists and guests in the water. “When you see someone drowning, you don’t think of your wallet or handphone, you jump on the jet ski to save them. “The hotels don’t have this equipment and they don’t station anyone to look after the guests in the sea.

“Now, the hotels and (Penang Municipal) Council (MPPP) want to ban our activities but they don’t think of this,” Mahendren said. He said the operators were open to measures to heighten safety standards on the beach, but a total ban was unacceptable. “We only see state officials during election time. They have consulted the hotels but they have never come down to talk to us,” Mahendren claimed.

Last week, Penang Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow announced that horses and beach buggies would be banned on the Batu Ferringhi beachfront from early next year. The 37 beach operators who offered such services would be informed officially of the decision next month, he said. Based on the results of an MPPP online poll held from Sept 26 to Oct 31, the state had also decided to designate zones for water sports.
Parasailing and jet skiing operator Azahari Mat Noor, 50, said restricting water sports to certain places would only increase the possibility of accidents. “Guests are staying all along the beach front, so operators are spread out as well. “If we can only operate in a few places, it will definitely be crowded and more accidents will occur,” said Azahari, who has been operating near the Parkroyal Penang Hotel for over two decades.

He did, however, have complaints about the horse riding activities in the area. “I fight with them everyday about the horse dung. They don’t remove it from the beach and the places where the horses urinate smell horrible,” he said.Meanwhile, a visit to the Batu Ferringhi beach yesterday showed one lone horse offering rides. “The MPPP enforcement officers are around so many of the operators will not come out,” said a worker handling the horse. He said there were roughly four horse operators in Batu Ferringhi, who operated some five to six horses on the beach on a daily basis. “All the horses are former race horses and it takes RM100 to feed just one horse each day! “We are just trying to make an honest living here and it is not true that we leave the dung all around,” the 33-year-old said. On questions of safety, the worker said he never let the horses go beyond a quick trot in which he would run along the side of the animal holding the reins.
-thestar online.