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The Making of
Langkawi Geopark |
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By Dato' Kamarulzaman Abdul Ghani |
Mahsuri’s curse of seven generations was
lifted, I believe not by chance, but
more by design. The deliberate
establishment of Langkawi Development
Authority, LADA was accredited to the
ingenuity of former Prime Minister, Tun
Mahathir Mohamed. Nobody can deny that
he is the Father of Langkawi’s
development. I would refrain from saying
that he is the Father of modern
Langkawi, for I believe that traditional
Langkawi remains intact, although the
surrounding physical landscape has
somewhat evolved from dilapidated
kampung houses to brick and concrete
homes; from simple beach chalets and
A-huts to five-star posh hotels. Tun
still believes that Langkawi should
maintain its natural setting and if we
remember well, he is one who still
despise the unnecessary cutting of
trees. The key attraction remains
natural beauty and serenity. The sun,
the sea, tropical flora and fauna, the
beautiful geomorphology all in all add
on to what we term today as a GEOPARK.
It was a simple but a far-sighted move
from a legendary leader who sees the
glitter of gold in a once-upon-a-time
remote an inaccessible archipelago of 99
islands (104 to be exact) in the
north-western part of the Malay
Peninsular. The establishment of LADA
under the Ministry of Finance simply
means that federal funds get channeled
directly into Langkawi - and very big
funds at that. The presence of LADA
paved the way to a host of other federal
departments opening office in Langkawi.
It is estimated that over RM2 billion
has been pumped into this magical island
of Langkawi, all to facilitate
development in various sectors of the
economy. Now, whoever sees it with a
visionary pair of eyes, will see it as
an island of opportunity and of fortune.
Now, we perceive and conceptualise this
as LANGKAWI GEOPARK.
LADA is synonymous with the development
of Langkawi. It cannot be denied that
LADA is one of the most prominent
government agencies in the country, not
so much by size, role and clout, but
rather by its patron leadership. LADA is
governed by board, jointly chaired by
the Prime Minister of Malaysia (also
Minister of Finance), Dato Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi, and the Chief Minister of
Kedah Dato Seri Mahdzir Khalid. Equally
important is that Tun Mahathir is the
advisor of LADA. The Prime Minister,
affectionately referred to as Pak Lah by
Malaysians in general, has openly
expressed gratitude and praise for his
predecessor’s commitment and
contributions to Langkawi. Tun Mahathir,
in his continued love for Langkawi and
passion for horses and all things
equestrian, has constructed a
full-facility horse stable, the Perdana
Stables, and horseriding trail over 70
km long at Matchincang, presumably the
longest mountain trail in the region.
One of his personal business projects,
The Loaf, a Japanese bakery and bistro
outlet is now in itself a tourist
attraction in the a la Mediterranean
vicinity of Telaga Harbour Park, Pantai
Kok. The indefatigable Tun would also be
undertaking some fruit farming project
using the fertigation technology and
also a couple of pioneering projects,
which we will announce later.
When I took over the helm of LADA as the
CEO in May 2005, it took some time for
me to grasp the workings of LADA and had
to do a fair bit of housekeeping work,
not uncommon among newcomers to any
organization. As for the development
budget allocated under the Ninth
Malaysia Plan, it was about half of that
of the previous Plan. Having a first
look at Langkawi’s need within the
background of a well-developed network
of infrastructure and utilities, I was
contented. Therefrom, I was searching
for priority areas wherein we could
optimize on resource allocation. No
doubt, projects within the Plan have
been identified and approved by the
Government but I saw some flexibility in
detailing sub-projects within the
budget. Moreover, my immediate emphasis
was on a slight diversion into the
socioeconomic agenda, which is to
provide for the needs of the rural
community in the form of kampong roads,
to improve accessible and convenience of
the fringe dwellers. Maintenance and
repairs, and upgrading of facilities
were also my priority. Some
non-functional or rather
not-so-successful projects, were of
particular concern and some salvation
work needed to be undertaken. Project
planning and preparation took the best
half of 2006. The ‘Pekan Rabu’, a
commercial complex for small businesses,
modelled against the one in Alor Star,
took off in late 2005 and is scheduled
for completion within the first half of
this year.
As we are into the LANGKAWI GEOPARK era,
all projects are directed towards
enhancing and promoting this agenda. We
are going to see some interesting
structures coming up to complement those
existing. A monumental bridge will be
constructed over the small Kuah River. I
think we can allow some extravagance for
a tourist island as this would be a
signature scenic bridge, representing
another icon for Langkawi, besides the
landmark giant eagle perched on Eagle
Square. Complementing the bridge would
be a waterfront that would further boost
the panoramic view of the Kuah waterway
and sea front.
Another interesting project for Langkawi
would be the construction of monuments
at the roundabout enroute to the
Langkawi International Airport.
Corresponding to the Geopark concept,
these will be made of local Langkawi
marble (one of the finest in the world),
with local community participating in
the sculpturing of the marble boulders.
“LANGKAWI GEOPARK. It is history in the
making for Langkawi. This Geopark is
unmatched by any other. It’s situated
within a duty-free territory and
encompasses 99 islands in the sun. Where
else in the world can you find a setting
like this?”
The Langkawi Geopark development
programme has received strong support
from the Federal Government. The
Ministry of Finance (MOF) has approved a
special fund of RM2 million for this
purpose. This involves the construction
of paths and trails to geological sittes,
viewing decks, signages and panels, all
in the effort to facilitate visitors and
tourists to enjoy and appreciate better
the products of Langkawi Geopark. As
work progresses, the need to provide
further facilities and upgrades to
geopark products seems vast. Thanks to
the special funding provided by the MOF,
which I envisage would reach RM15 for
among others construction of a bridge
for motorcyclists, connecting Pulau Tuba
and Selat Bagan Nyior (on Pulau Dayang
Bunting).
“An important project in Pulau Tuba is
the provision of access and viewing
gallery at Gua Wang Buluh, one of the
important discoveries in the Geopark new
product identification.”
I consider this to be a Geopark project
as it would open opportunities for
tourism development on these islands,
particularly in homestay programmes.
Primarily, it is a social project to
ease movement between inhabitants of
both islands, particularly of children,
whom otherwise would have to commute to
their school by boat. The Geopark
concept after all is not just about
rocks, it is about people. The people of
Tuba and Dayang Bunting hence deserve a
greater piece of the tourism pie. An
important project in Pulau Tuba is the
provison of access and viewing gallery
at Gua Wang Buluh, one of the more
important discoveries in the Geopark new
product identification. The people of
Tuba are getting very excited about the
projects coming into their backyard,
including a coastal rural road that
would provide a fantastic scenic drive,
to also potentiallyt attract fishing
enthusiasts.
Dato’ Kamarulzaman Abdul Ghani is the
General Manager of
Langkawi Development Authority (LADA).
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