Tanjung Piai National Park is a famous tourist destination in the constituency. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
MENTION Tanjung Piai and eco-tourism will come to mind, thanks to its mangrove forests, homestay accommodation and seafood restaurants.
The area attracts visitors from all over the world as it is home to the Tanjung Piai National Park, known as the southernmost tip of the Asian continent.
The parliamentary constituency in the Pontian district has two state seats – namely Pekan Nanas and Kukup.
Apart from tourism, the area is also known for its agricultural activities, particularly pineapple and oil palm as well as fishing.
Despite this, locals say Tanjung Piai is losing its younger inhabitants to more developed districts and states.
Joanne Ho, 32, said most young people opt to leave after completing their studies as they feel there were not many opportunities available.
“Although there are job openings here, they don’t appeal to young people who want to build a career.
“Most will go to Singapore or elsewhere,” said the noodles seller in Kukup.
She said more could be done to develop the tourism industry.
“It is a shame that despite being so famous, Tanjung Piai lacks basic facilities such as good roads and public toilets.
“Apart from visiting the national park and enjoying the seafood, there is nothing much to keep tourists occupied.
“In fact, most shops in Kukup close by 8pm,” Ho added.
Taxi driver Azhar Ahmad, 57, who is also from Kukup, said the area had lost its “liveliness” after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The tourism industry is slowly starting to recover but it is still a far cry from what it was before.
“The number of tourists has gone down and shops that closed during the pandemic remain shut,” he said.
Azhar said there was a need to widen roads as the area was expected to attract more people once the Sungai Pulai bridge between Johor Baru and Pontian was completed.
The 7.5km bridge, which will reduce travelling time from about an hour to 15 minutes, is expected to be ready by January next year.
“Most of the roads here, especially those near village areas, are poorly lit, narrow and have a lot of potholes.
“It is dangerous, especially for those driving at night,” he said.
Retired civil servant S. Segakaran, 70, from Pekan Nanas, said the town was developing at an ideal rate.
However, he noted that due to the low population of Indians in Pekan Nanas, there is no Tamil school in the area.
“The children need to travel to Pontian town, which is about 17km away.
“Perhaps the government could provide a free shuttle service for the pupils living in Pekan Nanas,” he said.
There are 70,666 voters in the Tanjung Piai constituency.
A total of 57% are Malays and 42% are Chinese, with only 1% Indians.
In the 14th General Election, Bersatu’s Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik won the seat with a 524 majority in a three-corner fight.
Dr Md Farid passed away in September 2019, paving the way for the Tanjung Piai by-election, which was held in November of the same year.
MCA’s Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng won the seat with a whopping majority in a six-way fight.
Wee, who is Tanjung Piai MCA division chief, is expected to defend his seat in GE15.
Wee had previously won the seat in the 2008 and 2013 general elections.
He is expected to face off against Muda’s candidate Lim Wei Jiet who is the party’s co-founder.
Tanjung Piai National Park is a famous tourist destination in the constituency. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
Segakaran says there is no Tamil school in Pekan Nanas.
Kukup has not recovered since the pandemic, says Azhar.
Ho says jobs available in Tanjung Piai don’t appeal to most youths.
