We deserve to be there too (part II)

Two articles in relation to the Redang Island issue I blogged about earlier were published in The Star last Saturday. Fairly 'mild' and edited obviously, but atleast some of the messages got through. One section was by Ummi aka Miezegreat as the representative from ReefCheck. Good job!

NGOs: Better to teach people about Redang's beauty

PETALING JAYA: Several non-profit environmental organisations have spoken out against the Terengganu government’s plan to turn Pulau Redang into a high-end, exclusive getaway for the rich, saying educating the people about preservation was more vital.

Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) said that educating the people on the importance of preserving the diving haven’s natural beauty and adhering to a strict enforcement of guidelines would be a better move.

“MNS is of the opinion that there should be no further development on the island except to improve and review certain amenities and introduce the best practices for the island,” it said in a statement yesterday.

The body expressed concern about over-development which had taken a toll on the island, especially in waste management and the health of corals in certain areas of the island.

“Having informed visitors to the island is one of the ways we can protect Redang’s national heritage,” MNS said.

MNS communications head Andrew Sebastian said he was worried that the “carrying capacity” of Pulau Redang may had been exceeded.

If there were too many visitors on the island, the fresh water supply may be used up sooner, he said.

“Also, if raising prices is to control the number of people going there, MNS supports the move if the money is used to help smaller operators put in the appropriate systems to prevent pollution,” he said.

On Thursday, Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said announced that the island would be turned into an exclusive getaway with rooms starting from US$500 (RM1,600) per night.

Ahmad said the move was to control the number of people who visited Pulau Redang in order to save the island’s rich marine life and prevent environmental destruction due to pollution and littering.

He added that only hotels rated five-star and above would be allowed to be built, adding that the state government would no longer approve the construction of chalet-type accommodations on the island. Existing chalets would also have to upgrade and raise their rates to match the high-end destination decision.

Reef Check Malaysia, another non-profit organisation that looks into coral conservation, said the Government should not waste money building new resorts but have stricter enforcement and policies instead.

Its Eco Action Programme manager Ummi Haslinda Mohd Rosli said a centralised sewage treatment should be built, adding that there should also be compost machines for solid waste to be shared by all resorts.

“These are some of the ways to improve the environment of the islands,” she said, adding: “We can also monitor the number of tourists visiting the island and impose strict fines on tourists and locals who fish at restricted areas. Enforcement officers need to be vigilant in punishing those who litter.”

Ummi Haslinda said it was just not enough to post signs to caution tourists and locals to not litter.

“It’s better to have a simple and improved eco-friendly environment than having islands swamped by big and expensive resorts that do not help conserve the marine environment,” she added.

Decision on Redang does not go down well with divers

Saturday April 10, 2010

PETALING JAYA: Divers gave the thumbs-down to the move to make Pulau Redang an exclusive getaway, saying that for half the RM1,599 a night accommodation proposed by the Terengganu government, a diver can now get a four-day trip including accommodation, food and diving activities.

They said budget travellers and divers would not be able go to the diving haven if it was made a high-end destination.

Diver Angeline Goh, 29, believed that the plan would not only turn divers away but also cause chalet operators to go bust.

“Diving operators look for cheap packages to take their clients. If it is expensive, they will move to other places like Tioman,” she said yesterday.

Another diver, Sean Phoon, 30, agreed that there was a need for conservation efforts but noted that hiking prices and making it an exclusive getaway was not the solution.

“The corals have deteriorated and there is a need to preserve the environment.

“You can preserve the environment by following Pulau Sipadan’s measures – limiting the number of people on the island. You cannot force existing chalets to hike up their prices and kill off these chalets by insisting on a ridiculous price tag,” he said.

We deserve to be there too (part I)

It's Friday today. Normally, Friday would be a good day because the weekend is less than 24 hours away. It should also be a better day because Liverpool FC has just braved through to the semi-final of Europa League after a stylish win over Benfica last night.

But, I am hopping mad and it is because of this frontpage article in The Star today:

Pulau Redang aims to lure the rich with room rates no less than RM1,600

I can still stomach it if they just come clean and say that they want to make the island exclusive because they want to squeeze as much money out of the precious jewel before it's gone forever. But to say that (quote) "only wealthy individuals would be able to afford holidays in Pulau Redang" as it is " the only way to save the surrounding rich marine life and prevent environmental destruction due to pollution and indiscriminate littering" is just not acceptable. Such hypocrisy.

It is also painfully funny to read this: "Efforts must be made to save the island from deteriorating environmentally. Those on budget excursions can visit other islands like Pulau Kapas and Pulau Perhentian that are equally charming"

Were those statements implying that budget travellers are the only culprits who have caused damages to the corals and that the rich and famous are the only ones who care for the marine life? And was the last statement also implying that it is actually ok to damage the corals of Kapas and Perhentian islands? Haih.

If you really care about the ecosystem and the precious marine life wahai pembesar-pembesar negeri, don't you think you should consider these steps instead?

* limit the number of visitors per day as how it is done in Sipadan
* even limit the number of resorts if necessary but make sure those available can cater for everyone including backpackers, not just those lucky ones who can afford RM1.6k/night rooms
* HELP to upgrade the sewage system on the island
* improve monitoring and ENFORCEMENT to ensure all chalets and hotels (including those for the rich and famous) have proper and working sewage system
* fully SUPPORT the marine conservational works already been carried out by many agencies including Reefcheck, WWF etc
* EDUCATE, EDUCATE AND EDUCATE our people (err, and probably the state policy-makers too)

I am very fond of Redang Island and have been there quite a number of times over the last 2 years. I particularly enjoyed diving at Holysand (when it was still there), Terumbu Mak Cantik and Terumbu Che Isa, awesome sites I must say. Redang was where I did my AOWD with sifu Macha hence the first place I did my deep and night dives. It was also where I dived with many good friends like Siew Lian, DiveChiefKaz, Ardy, Bakawali, Najibest, Safuan, Zalman and Avthar and also the place where I first met a few otai divers who later became my good friends like Miezegreat, Ikan and Rocket. So yeah, Redang is special to me and to many other divers too, I'm sure. But if this (quote) "only wealthy individuals would be able to afford holidays in Pulau Redang as hotel rooms will cost no less than US$500 (RM1,599) a night" plan ever materialise, I have no doubts I won't be able to step on the island again. RM1600 can easily give me a 3 or 4-day dive trip to Manado and if I just double the amount, it can take me to Komodo which is no doubt a wayyyyyy better diving destination compared to Redang. In short, this motion will just drive visitors away to the neighbouring countries in no time. Not so clever eh?

Anyway, for your information dear policy-makers, most divers travel cheap because we do CARE about our environment. By staying at cheap chalets, we use fans instead of air-conditioners (ada ke 5* hotels yang tak pakai air-cond?), the electricity supply at these cheap resorts are usually limited to only certain times of the day (as oppose to unlimited usage hence energy wastage in 5* hotels) and most of the times, we even bring our own towels hence avoiding unnecessary towels/ bathrobes daily change as in those fancy hotels. I can go on and on but cukup la... I think I have made my points here.

Kesimpulannya, please seriously reconsider ya. Saya dahului dengan ribuan terima kasih.

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The wonderful creatures of Redang underwater from last year's trip..

Dalam selimut putih (Part 1)

This is a post of random thoughts while I was warded for a week for a bad back.

30th March 2010, 10pm

The girl at the opposite bed wore a Man Utd jersey today and I have just overheard her conversation with the other lady next to her bed:

"Awak sokong Manchester ya?"

"A'ah. Beckham cun kak!"

Emmmmmm. I have nothing against MU or its fans. Besides, I know many REAL MU fans whom I truly respect for their footie/ club knowledge and loyaties such as my former school junior Idlan (she's such a big name in blogsphere now) and my batchmate Nor (who's now on a lone adventure around the globe en route to World Cup, I am green with envy) and many more. My definition of REAL fans are those who would stick by their teams either they win or lose, those who enjoy the game for the game and not just for the pretty faces in it (Hukaloh.. Beckham dah berzaman out of MU cik kak oi..). Real fans should be able to name atleast half of the team if not fully and should be able to describe the meaning of the offside rule. Most importantly, real fans possess true sporting spirit and handle winning or losing maturely and in moderation instead of with over-the-top cheers and jibes. Ok, a lil' glee whenever MU lost is of course still acceptable, no? ;)

Anyway, fake fans (particularly of MU for some reasons) more common than not, would go by all means to demean and ridicule the opponents when they win but surprisingly all silent when the clubs they supported were defeated. Those who just a week ago declared themselves hardcore fans because their teams were winning suddenly became indifferent and distanced just because their teams lost their games this week. Worse, some may jump-ship declaring their undying loyalties to another (winning) team. Have you guys not realised how we suddenly see so many Barca fans now? Check out the newsfeed on your FB if you don't believe me.

Oh well, hope I get to be transferred to another room soon. The gossips I am made to listen (they're talking very loudly ok) in here is making me want to puke. Honestly.