Cameron Highlands: where Land Rovers go to rust in peace


Najjua Zulkefli

CAMERON Highlands, high up in the Malaysian mountains and renowned for its tea plantations, is a place for thousands of Land Rovers painted with big “CH” letters on their doors or bonnets, which have long been used for its agricultural activities.

Coming off from the hills fully loaded with fruits and vegetables on market days, Land Rovers are the primary vehicles of choice for Cameron Highlands farmers.

The reason there are so many Land Rovers in Cameron Highlands is due to a tax law that allows local farmers a 90% tax cut with the condition that the vehicles must be used for agricultural purposes and are not allowed to leave the Cameron Highlands. Most of these old workhorses are left by the British after the World War II.

Due to the lack of official Land Rover workshops in Cameron Highlands, the locals scavenge what they need from other wrecks that are rusting along the road such as taking engines from Nissan, transmissions from Mitsubishi, steering wheels from Honda, and so on to keep their Land Rovers going.

So what happens when one of these workhorses finally gives up? The owner just leaves it where it is until nature overtakes the wrecks after years of hard work.

The scenery is reminiscent of the mysterious elephant graveyards in Africa, with old Land Rovers rusting away in peace in Cameron Highlands. – January 19, 2019.


Sign up or sign in here to comment.


Comments