LANGKAWI – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad may have lost his parliamentary seat here but a section of the community here wants him to continue paying attention to the island resort, especially on tourism.
Renowned as the architect behind the transformation of the backwater island into a preferred international tourism destination, Dr Mahathir should be welcome to continue his vision of what Langkawi should become, said 66-year-old Mardiana Shaari.
The beauty care entrepreneur here told The Vibes that it was unfortunate that the young and the working class rejected Dr Mahathir, perhaps due to the lack of awareness of what he had done for the island.
“Well as the saying goes, a nation who forgets her history tends to repeat the mistakes of the past. We shall move on, but if Dr Mahathir is still sharp and healthy, he should come back to help us develop this island,” said Mardiana when met recently here.
Originally from the Klang Valley, Mardiana relocated to the island two decades ago, driven by the vision of Dr Mahathir of showcasing Langkawi as an island resort full of flora and fauna, away from the bustle of urbanisation.
Dr Mahathir recently stated that he sees no reason why he needs to return to Langkawi as it was obvious that the residents, particularly the voters here rejected him.
He lost the Langkawi parliamentary seat and his deposit in the 15th general election.
There were 66,777 registered voters in Langkawi and based on the Election Commission’s analysis, only some 47,000 voters took part in the recent polling.
Langkawi Development Authority board co-chairman Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah of Perikatan Nasional won with a majority of 13,518, defeating former Langkawi civil officer Datuk Amishah Siraj Das of Barisan Nasional, together with Dr Mahathir, Zabidi Yahya of Pakatan Harapan, and independent Datuk Abdul Kadir Sainudin.
Dr Mahathir, who stood on the Gerakan Air Tanah ticket, only garnered 4,566 votes, losing for the second time in a chequered career of over 50 years in public office.
The last time Dr Mahathir lost was in 1969 for the Kota Setar Selatan parliamentary seat when he was defeated by Yusuf Rawa of PAS, who later went on to become the PAS president.
Tourism Langkawi president Ahmad Pishol Isahak, meanwhile, hopes the 97-year-old does not take the defeat personally.
He said he hopes the nonagenarian can return to help overcome the sluggish growth that many travel trade members find tourism in.
Pishol said that in the name of tourism, Dr Mahathir’s leadership and touch are needed to help the authorities to bring back the necessary momentum here.
There is no denying tourists are returning but the numbers and spending power are not exactly like the pre-pandemic situation.
Now, the travel trade providers are faced with rising living costs, and a shortage of manpower, so even if they are in business, it is a struggle, said Pishol in an interview.
Travel agent Rashid Hitam said that if Dr Mahathir can find a way to boost tourism, he should come back here and share his wisdom on the matter.
Businessman Derrick Chor said that the residents here are in two minds over Dr Mahathir, as the older generation remember his deeds but the younger ones have a different expectation about how life should be here.
“The young are more tuned to conservatism in tourism whereas the older generation know that leisure industry needs to be more about vibrancy. We wonder if Dr Mahathir can change the mindset of the young when it comes to tourism.”
However, not all of the travel trade community are keen to recall Dr Mahathir.
Veteran tour guide K. Gunasegaran said that Dr Mahathir has contributed much to the development here, but he is at an age where he should retire and write his memoirs.
Dr Mahathir may mean well but it is time for a generation change, said Gunasegaran.
Eugene Alan Dass, the chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels’ Kedah chapter, shares the same view as Gunasegaran, saying that Dr Mahathir should also understand that he was not available when the island resort needed him during the lockdowns.
“He was by and large absent during the pandemic. We needed his leadership to steer the island out of the abyss it was in. Instead, we had to do it ourselves.”
Dr Mahathir has also brought along many corporate entities to the island from listed companies such as the Berjaya Group to tycoons such as Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Syed Bukhari and the Widad Business Group.
The Boon Siew Development Group is also one of the largest owners of land here. – The Vibes, December 4, 2022
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