BAYAS Island in Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu, which was mooted as a duty-free centre, should have become a new tourist attraction in the state but remains incomplete due to politics and change in state government, say tourism operators.

They said the mega project kicked off during the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration in 2010 and was pegged at RM118 million.

It involved the construction of a main passenger jetty terminal, service jetty, shopping complex and a boat landing.

The project was supposed to be completed in 2018 but infighting within the BN administration also delayed  its completion.

Then the BN government fell and the PAS administration appeared to have little interest in completing it.

It has now been declared a stalled project.

A tourism entrepreneur known only as Azimi, 42, said the tax-free project at Tasik Kenyir was one of the examples of many tourism developments in Terengganu that failed to be implemented due to the change in government.

“If not for politics, tourism in Terengganu would certainly develop more.

“What we regret is that the project cost a lot of money and ended up being wasted. 

“About 70% of the development was already underway and then it was abandoned,” he told The Malaysian Insight of the Bayas Island development.

Terengganu politics was uncertain after Ahmad Said resigned as menteri besar in 2014 and was replaced by Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman.

Umno’s internal political turmoil is said to have had an impact on the development of the duty free complex in Lake Kenyir leading to a dispute about the suitability of the proposed area for development.

In 2016, Razif gave assurance that his administration would continue with the construction of the complex despite admitting that it would be completed later than scheduled.

Two years later, BN failed to defend its mandate in Terengganu when it lost to PAS in the 2018 general election.

The PAS administration is reportedly not interested in continuing the project, which is 77% complete, because of the high cost.

It is reported to involve a cost of about RM200 million, higher than the original cost of RM118 million.

However, in 2022, the state government said it would continue with the stalled project in addition to completing the development of the iconic bridge and the construction of a hotel on nearby Poh Island. 

A houseboat operator in Lake Kenyir, Sulong Mustafa said he did not see any development work going on in Bayas Island, unlike on Poh Island, which has an iconic bridge and hotel.

“When visitors pass through Pulau Bayas they ask why there are abandoned buildings, which indirectly affects the tourism image of the state and we have to tell them that it is actually an abandoned project,” he said.

Fundraising on their own

A similar scenario affects 600 fishermen and tourism operators at Merang jetty, Setiu who are facing the problem of a shallow river. 

The river deepening project that was promised to them never happened even though the problem has lasted for more than 30 years and the government has changed several times.

A boat operator who only wanted to be known as Baha, 44, said the authorities’ efforts to dredge the river was only temporary.

“It does not solve the problem we have been facing for a long time.

“Every time the government changes, they feel that it is a burden for them because they have to bear high costs, so the situation persists.

Merang Jetty is the gateway for tourists to Pulau Redang, Pulau Bidong, and Pulau Tengah.

But the shallow river causes boats to get stuck or overturned, said Baha.

“This problem impacts boat operators greatly, especially those involved in tourism. We want to attract tourists but if this situation is not resolved, what can we do?

“There has been a case where the passengers themselves had to push the boat due to getting stuck on a sandbar. We are indeed ashamed in front of tourists,” he said. 

The shallow condition of the river also affects the income of fishermen who have to go out to sea to find fish.

Baha said the problem of a shallow river has worsened in the last five years.

“The situation is worse during the monsoon season. We are faced every day with the risk of our boats capsizing and being damaged,” he said.

Last March, boat operators and local residents were involved in launching a fundraiser to deepen the river. They took their own initiative since the state government did not do anything to resolve the issue, said Baha.

“With the efforts of the community, we managed to collect funds amounting to RM19,800 within 24 hours allowing us to rent an excavator to dig out sand in the estuary.

“After word of our efforts spread, the local authorities came to help, but before this they were indifferent, even though there were hundreds of complaints made by the community,” he said.

According to Baha, even though the federal government promised to go ahead with the river estuary deepening project, they do not place their hopes too high.

“Previously, a memorandum was sent to the prime minister and the government made an announcement to implement the project.

“We don’t have high hopes from past experiences with previous governments,” he said. – June 4, 2023.