GE14 | The 18 initiatives to take Langkawi to greater heights in the next five years announced by Najib Abdul Razak on Friday are well received by the people on the island.
The initiatives include tourism-related development and involve the "infra-rakyat" (infrastructure for the people), management, vehicle licensing as well as upgrading training academies, expanding the Langkawi International Airport and bringing in more direct flights from other countries to the island.
When announcing the initiatives at the Langkawi Tourism Industry event recently, Najib reiterated that the government would not stop developing the legendary island which has a population of 150,000.
Langkawi Tourism Association (LTA) chairman Rosli Yahya said LTA welcomed the government's efforts to upgrade the tourism academy in Langkawi as the level of tourism-related training in the island was still low.
Echoing the same view, Langkawi Fishermen Association chairperson Mahfdzir Ibrahim described the financial assistance and allowance for fishermen on the island to generate a side income by participating in the tourism industry as an opportunity that should not be missed.
Langkawi Bumiputera Entrepreneurs Association chairperson Yusof Zakaria said the initiative to expedite the licence, as well as loan approval, would help boost the spirit of traders in Langkawi to venture into or expand their tourism-related business.
Meanwhile, a taxi driver Saad Mahmud commended the government on its commitment to addressing issues of competition at the Langkawi International Airport faced by taxi drivers.
”Taking passengers must follow certain rules in terms of attire, discipline and driving method... cannot be treated lightly as we represent Langkawi's image,” he said in welcoming the initiative that only taxi drivers would be allowed to take passengers at the Langkawi International Airport.
According to Najib, a good transformation programme which is capable of lifting the country to a higher level requires unwavering support from the people.
In contrast to the promise by the opposition candidate for Langkawi in the 14th general election Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who only focused on bringing reform to the island without mentioning it in more detail.
In a letter to the Langkawi residents as well as through his social media account, the former prime minister admitted that he had nothing to offer if he was elected and only reminded the people to choose leaders who would defend the rights and future of the island.
During the recent visit, Najib was also presented with the Father of Tourism Transformation award by industry players on the island for his efforts and initiatives to bring in more tourists to Langkawi since his appointment as prime minister about 10 years ago.
He also spent about half an hour at the Telaga Walk in Jalan Chenang, where an entrepreneurship clinic programme was held by the Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia and SME Corp.
BN candidate for the Langkawi parliamentary seat Nawawi Ahmad said Najib's presence not only enlivened the programme but also heated up BN machinery campaign for the GE14. The crowd also did not miss the opportunity to take photographs with the prime minister.
Nawawi is defending the seat in a three-cornered fight, facing Mahathir who is standing as a PKR-Bersatu candidate and Zubir Ahmad of PAS.
In the 13th general election, Nawawi won the seat with a huge majority of 11,861 votes by polling 21,407 votes to defeat PKR’s Ahmad Abdullah who obtained 9,546 votes and independent candidate Marina Hussein who managed only 180 votes.
- Bernama
