What Fomer Prime Minister Said about Langkawi

LANGKAWI O' LANGKAWI
By Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on May 17, 2010 5:17 PM

1. I used to sail in the Mediterranean sea and visited the islands there. They were all very bare. There were a few trees growing in between bare rocks.

2. Coming back I appreciated our green islands more. And the greenest of them all (to me at least) is Langkawi.

3. But I am afraid it is getting less and less green now.

4. We like to blame the developers for cutting down the tree. And I think they should be blamed. But in Langkawi we see people, mostly locals I think, who quietly burn down the undergrowth and sometimes the trees as well, so they can plant bananas and other fruit trees. They do this on the hillsides normally.

5. As a result when it rains, muddy water which used to be trapped and the flow slowed by the bushes now come down in torrents.

6. If the hillsides continue to be cleared, there will be landslides soon.

7. A Langkawi that is not green won't be much of an attraction, I think.

8. My blog seems to have some effect. The straightening and widening of the north south highway, as well as the cutting of trees have now stopped. All praise be to Allah. Thank you JKR.

9. I had lunch on the rocks at Tanjung Sanctuary. This is an old hotel but the new owner has completely refurbished. No trees were cutand you pass through a real forest to reach the chalets and the restaurant.

10. I was there when the hotel was started almost 20 years ago. This was my second visit and the ambience is fantastic. Very restful.

11. O Langkawi - may it always be green. In my years as Prime Minister nothing gave me so much pleasure as developing Langkawi. It still gives me the same pleasure.

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Perhaps all locals need to be educated on the values of Langkawi as an ecotourism attraction and destination. People go to Langkawi not just to buy free duty products but to enjoy nature - trees, cocunuts, corals, beaches and eat seafood. The locals need to promote nature instead cutting trees for "pisang rebus" and ubi bakar" eat with "nyok kukoq". May be UPM (Universiti Putra Malaysia) can help Langkawian together with LADA.