ISLAND folk in Mersing, Johor, whose livelihood depends solely on tourists, are appealing for emergency allocation in the event that there are search-and-rescue operations there.
Air Puteri village chief Ahmad Firdaus Shaik Omar, 40, said when there was a search-and-rescue operation, all island activities would be disrupted for a few months.
Ahmad Firdaus says activities are affected for a few months during search and rescue operations.
The majority of businesses in the district, he said, could operate for about eight months a year only from March to November because November to February was the monsoon season.
“This window of opportunity will get narrower when there is a search-and-rescue operation.
“During the operation, all island activities will be frozen immediately, meaning that there will be no hiking, boat tours, island hopping or stargazing activities during this period,” said Ahmad Firdaus when contacted.
He said during the search for the missing divers on Pulau Tokong Sanggol in April last year, island activities had to be suspended for two months.
“A recent case was of a missing person who went hiking on Pulau Mawar earlier this month, which resulted in the closure of all tourism activities on the island.
“So there should be emergency aid in case things like this happen,” he said, hoping that the government would be more understanding of the welfare of the villagers in Mersing.
Ahmad Firdaus said attention should also be given to poor families, especially with the upcoming Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
“We also hope that the government can provide information to young village chiefs in the district and their committee on how to get aid from the agencies in case of an emergency,” he added.
Mohd Nor Syafuan wants to bring positive changes to the villages in Mersing.
Kampung Air Papan village chief Mohd Nor Syafuan Rusli’s main concern is the annual floods that affect his village during the monsoon season.
“My house was inundated during the recent monsoon.
“So with the trust given by the villagers to young leaders like me and Ahmad Firdaus, we plan to bring changes to our villages,” said the 33-year-old.
“I have been in touch with the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) in the hope that a study can be done on how to mitigate floods, especially during high tide,” he said, adding that Kampung Air Papan was a well-known tourist attraction in Mersing.
The main agenda is the welfare and aid of the villagers, youth development, small business development and eco-tourism sector development in the villages, said Mohd Nor Syafuan.
“We plan to develop our village into a tourism product by introducing a kampung-stay programme, traditional sports, water sports as well as hiking and cycling activities.
“I hope all these plans will get the required support from the government,” he added.
