Dr M weighs in on Langkawi’s future development

Relaxed access into Langkawi, a new port and a mountain resort are at the top of the list of pro- jects Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would implement on the island if he were in charge of its development.

The former prime minister, who started his political career in Kedah, applauded the Government’s move to allocate RM420mil under Budget 2012 to launch the Langkawi Five Year Tourism Development Master Plan, and said he had ideas on how to spend the money. “Langkawi gets about 2.6 million visitors every year, but it could attract more than that.

“I don’t know how it (the RM420mil) will be spent, but if they give the money to me, I will know how,” Dr Mahathir said, drawing laughter during his keynote address at the launching of Four Points by Sheraton Langkawi Resort in Langkawi. When asked after the event about his development ideas, Dr Mahathir said more “relaxed” restrictions and procedures in terms of access to the island were important to draw tourists.

“Make it easy for people to come here. When you let people have easy access, then you get more tourists,” he said, adding that passengers on certain cruises were imposed with strict guidelines to come aboard the free port. On whether a bridge linking Langkawi to Peninsular Malaysia was a good idea, Dr Mahathir disapproved as people could cross “too easily” with a bridge.

He listed a new port as a good development idea, along with more resorts to accommodate tourists. “Build another port. There is demand for it and we have many good locations where a good port can be built.

“There is also a lot of potential for more resorts. We have not used the mountains for resorts. The weather is cool up there, why not have a mountain resort? “We could introduce mountain bike racing and could even host a world championship as the track there is very good,” said Dr Mahathir.

Asked if he was happy with the pace of Langkawi’s development, Dr Mahathir said more could be done. “I always believe that more can be done. Lots of things can be done and lots of money need to be spent on promotion,” he said.

-thestar online.