SEPUTEH MP Teresa Kok has been urged to contest in Langkawi in the upcoming General Election (GE) if she really wants to develop the resort island.
Kedah Tourism, Culture and Entrepreneurship Exco Datuk Mohd Salleh Saidin said Teresa's actions of constantly criticising Langkawi and the Kedah administration raise questions about the DAP leader's true motives towards the island.
"I have only one suggestion, if YB Teresa is really interested in developing Pulau Langkawi, ask Pakatan Harapan to field YB as a candidate there in the upcoming GE.
"Let's see how many hundred votes YB will get," he said.
Mohd Salleh said this in response to Teresa's statement claiming that Kedah Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, was more interested in spending his time in the arts than promoting the country's main tourist destination.
Teresa questioned Muhammad Sanusi, who was allegedly more interested in spending his time acting in the film 'The Keris' than focusing on restoring Langkawi's image, which had become increasingly dull under his administration.
The Kubang Rotan State Assemblyman (ADUN) claimed that Teresa continued to 'attack' Langkawi despite previously failing to refute the facts and data presented by the state government regarding the encouraging performance of the island's tourism sector.
He also linked the matter to Teresa's proposal in the Dewan Rakyat last year for the Federal Government to consider making Langkawi a Federal territory, a special territory or an international zone. “Are her latest attacks a way for her to ‘polish’ the proposal?
“Is it also a form of ‘sabotage’ against the Langkawi tourism sector so that when the agenda is successful, and Langkawi tourism is truly bleak, then the federal government has a reason to implement its proposal? I am not sure,” he said. However, he stressed that Langkawi will remain part of Kedah and will not be handed over to any party.
He added that the state government will not sacrifice cultural and religious values simply to chase the number of tourists. “We will not prostitute local values , including turning Langkawi into a hub of unhealthy cultures.
“The majority of Langkawi residents are Muslims. 78.5 per cent of the people of Kedah are also Muslims,” he said. – May 8, 2026
