2. The Italian coast is rocky but is green with shrubs and dotted with picturesque villas reaching from the beaches right up to the peaks.
3. Invisible from the sea, sturdy narrow tarred roads not only connect all the little coastal and hilltop towns but also all the villas and hotels. The roads make sharp hairpin bends as they ascend the steep hillsides at times projecting out from the cliffs. Italian drivers are as good as F1 drivers, negotiating these bend skilfully, passing the vehicles, including busses coming from the opposite direction with barely any space between them. Throughout several days of being driven along these narrow, sharply curved roads and steep cliffs I did not see a single accident.
5. There’s a passion for roofless busses and colourful canvas-topped taxis. All the tourists are turned to a ripe brown “sawo matang” colour. Seems that their holidays are just about lying on inflated floating plastic mats and folding chairs in the sun. Nothing is free. The umbrellas, mattresses, folding chairs are all for rent.
6. You may wonder why I am talking about my holiday in financially-troubled Italy. It is that they seem to be able to build on the hillsides without spoiling the beauty or causing landslides. The reason is the rocky nature of the land and absence of torrential rain, although I was pelted with hailstones in one of the villages in Ischia. There are no 50-storey high rises to block the view of those behind.
7. A few of the villas are five storeys high, but they follow the slope of the hill, being stepped back as they rise. They appear to be stuck to the sloping side of the hill rather than standing on cut-ground. The upper storeys look out over the flat roofs of the storeys below. Often potted plants are placed on the roof.
8. Below and above them were the hill roads. In the taxi or bus you see the roofs of the houses below as you pass the frontage of the houses above.
9. Our hills are not rocky. We have a thick layer of topsoil with giant trees firmly anchored by their roots, stabilizing the slopes. The grounds at the base of the trees are covered by thick undergrowth which again grips the topsoil.
10. This coverage of trees, shrubs and undergrowths prevent the rain from hitting the ground directly and softening it. Without this cover the ground would be washed down the slope.
11. Despite all these I still believe we can build on the hillsides provided we avoid high rise structures. One or two storied houses built some distance from each other with the big and medium sized trees left standing would minimise the risk of the soil being eroded.
12. Where necessary concrete mini-piles should be driven into the ground to stabilize it. In Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand narrow and steep concrete roads have been built to connect the villas with other parts of the hotel. Only golf-carts are allowed on these connecting roads.
13. Extensive planting of shrubs cover the ground completely supplementing the natural undergrowth. Although the ground in Koh Samui is as soft as the ground in Malaysia, the villas of the hotel built on the slopes appear quite stable and sturdy, each with its own swimming pool.
14. Langkawi would benefit from carefully planned hillside development. Currently we get some 2.5 million tourists visiting Langkawi. We can handle more. But the developers must be a bit more imaginative and not try to maximise return for the land.
15. Tourism is the fastest way to grow the economy. The people in Langkawi are better off than those in mainland Kedah. When I served there as Medical Officer in 1956 their houses were of timber, bamboo, attap and even the bark of trees. Today they live in modern brick and mortar houses, with electricity, hot and cold running water and WC system. Langkawians have come a long way.
16. There are foreigners who retire to live in Langkawi. Retired Malaysians should do likewise and enjoy the tax-free status of the Islands, while enriching the island and the nation. They should build villas on the hillsides and Government should build two-lane roads like those in Italy. The development should enhance the beauty of these legendary islands.
17. Langkawi should become the second home not only of foreigners but also of Malaysians.
Asalam’kum Tun,
I know one of the rules for high rise in Langkawi, is not higher than 11 stories. In Bali, the height is not higher than the coconut tree.
As for food, only reason is greedy businessman.
Hypermarket – several companies had conducted studiea and found to be not feasible. It needs a population base of at least 100,000 to set up a hypermarket. on top of that, the buying power of the people has not reached there yet.
Same goes for public transport. Once upon a time, there was a bus service running across the island, but has stopped service due to low occupancy. Not everyone, including locals would use the service. It is expensive to run it daily. Maybe only during holiday seasons, at fixed interval.
Dearest YAB Tun,
Thanks Tun for sharing your Italian holiday experience and observation with us. Ischia Island is a nice place to visit. I will go there someday.
I hope DS Najib reads your blog and gets some idea on how to develop Langkawi.
Thanks Tun.
*** May Allah SWT bless Tun and family ***
Tengah tengah puasa ni nak holiday apa Tun!
Kocek pun dah kosong,peruk pun lapar,haus pula
Alhamdulliah disini masih aman,masih ada tempat bertedur
Rezki merlimpah
Anak Malaysia meninggal
Istilallah
Merpati mati diatas Padi
Kita perlu pantau kedatangan Asing
Jangan sampai kita perTuan mereka
Salam Tun,
nice to know that u are resting and enjoying life…u deserved it…
on other note since u there i would like to share my blog on Italy PM…
i blog bout a ‘Dream Country’ in Feb 2010 where Gov Cabinet should be non politician… it is now a practice in Italy. The new PM have appointed his line-ups of futurist, strategist, educators and biz mens…
my blog:
http://sharat-s.blogspot.com/2010/02/dream-country-malaysia.html#comment-form
Italy’s PM news: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/16/mario-monti-technocratic-cabinet-italy
C u soon…
Sheikh Faleigh
YAB,
69. Keranamu Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir, our children, Malaysians, can stand tall and proud of what we achieved.
70. From Chinese newspaper, I read that the great grand son of Yap Ah Loy turned out to be very poor, and uneducated by looking at his picture.
71. To Chinese belief, similar to all races in this world, if the family had had done good deeds, they will be blessed.
72. Malaysia is blessed with nice folks and natural resources.
73. However, Malaysia was filled with greedy politicians of all political parties that “care only” about their members and can do what they want because they have internal connections with top government servants.
74. Today, Malaysia is no longer a child, she is a lady who knows when to stand firm on her pride and prejudice via national policies with skilled professionals.
75. Learning is a lifelong process via journey.
76. Once again, I thank you YAB for allowing me to learn so much of Politik Malaysia that can last for generations to choose the best leaders to keep Malaysia Going.
77. Mukhriz can be the future PM if the current PM remembers what his father had had done for him and his father during ups and “downs because good people always remember the good deeds.”
78. Suka atau tidak, feudalism still exist in Malaysia.
79. For those children who do not have a wealthy papa or mama, don’t get jealous.
80. No matter what happens, feudalism needs human resource to develop their family business empire.
81. I smell the freshness of the leaf out there, and thank you so much, YAB, to let us choose Malaysia destiny via equal before the law.
Good day, YAB
YAB,
61. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/7/30/nation/20120730160620&sec=nation
62. I sincerely hope that YAB will stand by PM Najib’s side to support him 100% and re-make DS Najib Tun Razak another best PM that all Malaysians will appreciate to earn back what we lost before.
That’s all, YAB.
Salam Sejahtera YBhg Tun,
Just to moot up ideas to make Langkawi more attractive. Yg Bhg Tun stressed that we must maintain the tranquility and uniqueness of Langkawi. Developments must be controlled and monitored in order to achieve those characteristics. Vehicles from the mainland are not encouraged to be brought in to the island. However we need a good and a unique public mode of transportation in the island for visitors easily to hop around. Current mode of transportation is generally by rental of cars. May suggest that maybe trams could be the best mode of transport around the Langkawi island connecting the point of entry (Kuah) to all destinations around the island. Modern trams are unique and are being widely used around the European countries. Other than its uniqueness, it may be attractive and fun for the visitors. The tranquilities of Langkawi can be maintained. It also may be less in operating and maintenance costs. Allocations RM400 million for Langkawi as announced by the Government could be sufficient the purpose.
Salam Ybhg Tun.
Salam Tun
May I add-on to my earlier posting
//5-For all your efforts for Kedah the people don’t appreciate you a little bit Tun.How could they reject the BN there?If you go to Langkawi you can see there are more PAS flags than there are UMNO’s.The Kedah people have taken you for granted.Maybe its a case of getting too much from you.//
The people of Kedah?Langkawi had got too much too easily so they have become a bunch of spoilt people.If they don’t bring back the BN to rule Kedah this PRU13 I recommend that they be given the Mahsuri curse-they would not be receiving development again for the next seven generations!!
Thanks Tun
Tun,
Saya ingin menyentuh sedikit mengenai sikap pemandu di Itali dengan Malaysia.
Di negara kita Tun, jika jalan sempit, sukar untuk melihat salah seorang pemandu akan beralah malah pemandu yang diberi laluan oleh pemandu yang beralah tidak akan teringat pun nak berterima kasih mengangkat tangan mahupun melemparkan senyuman.
Saya juga ingin menyentuh mengenai sikap-sikap buruk yang lain yang terdapat terhadap pemandu Malaysia.
Jika berlaku seperti Tun katakan jalan sempit dan jika satu pihak mengalah, pihak mengalah akan selama-lamanya lah tidak bergerak kerana pihak yang diberi laluan jika kenderaan berbaris panjang akan mengambil kesempatan terhadap pihak beralah tidak mahu berhenti memberi peluang pula kepada pihak beralah.
Satu lagi sikap buruk pemandu Malaysia terutama di Ipoh jika sesiapa memberi lampu isyarat untuk memasuki lorong ke kanan atau kiri, pemandu di lorong kanan atau kiri tidak akan memberi laluan walaupun jika pemandu itu masih jauh di belakang kita.Pemandu terbabit di lorong itu akan cuba memecut laju tidak memberi peluang kepada kereta lain memasuki lorongnya.
Pemandu berkenaan tidak akan segan silu dengan muka bengis membunyikan hon tidak memberikan laluan kepada pemandu lain.
Begitu juga jika pemandu hendak keluar daripada persimpangan tiga tanpa lampu isyarat jalan ke kiri, kereta yang datang dari arah kanan tidak akan memberi peluang kepada kereta daripada persimpangan keluar walaupun kereta pada lorong itu telah mula perlahan berhenti kerana sesak.
Lorong untuk keluar daripada persimpangan selalunya akan disekat oleh pemandu kereta yang datang dari arah kanan.
Lebih malang lagi Tun, sikap tidak bertimbang rasa ini turut melibatkan pemandu-pemandu yang berketayap dan membawa ahli keluarga yang ramai dalam sebuah kereta.
Mereka tidak sedar bahawa cara pemanduan mereka akan menjadi contoh kepada anak-anak dan juga boleh membahayakan nyawa anak-anak jika berlaku kemalangan.
Selain itu, ada pemandu kita gelojoh masih mahu memotong kereta lain apabila dekat dengan plaza tol walaupun mereka tidak menggunakan lorong yang dikhususkan untuk mereka.Seperti pelesit mereka akan memandu laju memotong kereta lain dari lorong kanan sekali ke lorong kiri sekali mengikut sesuka hati mereka.
Saya buka seorang cauvinis atau memandang rendah terhadap wanita tetapi saya pernah melihat seorang pemandu wanita memandu di bulatan tanpa menggunakan lampu isyarat begitu juga semasa membelok ke kiri dan kanan jalan.
Mungkin pemandu Malaysia tidak tahu menggunakan lampu isyarat atau mahu menjimatkan bateri kereta.
Tun, saya pernah ke Langkawi, bagi saya cara pemanduan di pulau itu jauh sekali bezanya daripada tempat-tempat lain di negara ini kerana pemandunya memandu secara berhemah dan tidak laju kecuali ada satu atau dua kes yang saya pasti melibatkan pemandu lain dari Semenanjung yang membawa perangai buruk mereka ke pulau itu.
Saya harap Tun, jika rakyat tempatan dari negeri lain menyahut seruan Tun untuk menjadikan Langkawi sebagai rumah kedua, mereka tidak akan membawa bersama mereka cara pemanduan dan perangai buruk mereka ke pulau tersebut.
Salam Tun.
The only environment difference between Italy and Malaysia is the Weather.
Having cooler waether can have an affect on the landscapes and the environment. Whatever we do , Malaysia will be Malaysia . We cannot transform Malaysia into Italy.
Good morning YAB,
40. After giving my vote to BN in this general election, I hope the elected new PM can elect Ministers based on their merit, performance and capability as Malaysians.
41. 1Malaysia, Janji Ditepati, programmes must be seen and implemented bukan untuk syiok satu kaum saja.
42. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/7/30/nation/11755883&sec=nation
43. Pakatan Rakyat policies only work well in poor states with lots of lands via land developers with the imagination of bigger and bigger mountain.
44. Got land, but no skill human traffic, very susah.
45. Malaysians are no longer poor and are well educated today.
46. In this world, no one will want to end up poor for the rest of their life.
47. If they have decided to go into the battlefield with spartan style, I mean stail cakap besar tak masuk akal, they will loose US.
That’s all, YAB.
Tun
It is interesting that you have always brought up fascinating and human activity subjects in your Blog.
Also, you mentioned about your observations with a keen eye on what you did see in Italy. Thousands of Malaysians and many teams of official delegates must have traversed the globe, and what did they see and not only look ?
They saw nothing because they did not have your trained eye as a doctor – maybe they saw only the shimmering clear blue water of the Blue Grotto of Capri !
I remember the case of a giant corporation which sent a delegation to New Zealand (of all places) and within 24 hours, one delegate was sent home on a stretcher.
Your promotion of Langkawi as a world class tourist destination was a foresight like the Petronas Towers for the benefit of the country.
To this day, I do not remember any authority mentioning the Towers as one of the greatest tourist attractions in Malaysia, if not the World – way ahead of any regional country like Singapore, and the huge amount of foreign exchange flowed in as a result.
In fact, from the very beginning the Ministry of Tourism should have issued a pink questionnaire for incoming tourists to fill in, like which 3 places have you come to visit eg. Putrajaya, Petronas Towers or ……..
This simple procedure would have justified your famous 22 year Administration a thousand times and would have rebutted the criticism of wise cracks, a million !
On Langkawi, this legendary island with its myriad of islands promoted by you is probably still unspoilt in present day terms as compared with similar scenic spots around the World – the only one left in this densely populated World with easy accessibility. And the group of islands should be strictly controlled so that Langkawi’s development will always be unique and world class and different from the mainland.
All the over-development on the mainland should not take place here. Tall rise buildings and highways would deface the landscape.
The basics which are supportive of tourism being cleanliness, affordable accommodation and food, transport and security as always are the keys to success. Strict entry into Langkawi must be enforced. There should be no dirt whatever this means.
Langkawi has still a very long way to go and to achieve goals to put it on the map of world tourism – maybe a gradual and carefully planned and controlled development of the whole area is the way to go.
Let others rush headlong into making mistakes elsewhere. But in Malaysia, we have Langkawi and its pristine islands which are unspoilt.
Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, a person with vision and will, is the right person to do the right job.
Great idea Tun. I always love Langkawi but only if development were to be controlled like what Putrajaya did. No hi-rises and nature damaging development. Love this posting.
YAB,
31. If YAB as the Chief Judge at the highest heirachy level in a small country like Malaysia, does YAB condone Islamic teachings and the rationale of the Palestinian militants in killings the 11 Israelis athletes in Olympic who have the chance to excel in sports to keep Israel going?
32. It’s a yes or no question asked by the lawyer in front of the Chief Judge, what is YAB’s answer for this?
Selamat Berpuasa, YAB.
Askm Tun, semuga kita semua terus di beri nekmat olih Allah SWT, terutama sekali nekmat kesihatan dan kebijaksanaan berfikir… ilmu yg Islam ambil-kira sebagai tunggak atas segala2nya, utk dunia & akhirat.
Saya memang suka mendengar & membaca mendapat2 Tun, sejak ketika Tun menyandang tugas sebagai PM Malaysia hingga sekarang kerana segala2 isinya bernas, mudah dipahami dan memberi menafa’at kpd sesiapa yg ingin memikirkannya. Saya sentiasa menunggu2 tulisan Tun melalui blog ini dan saya tidak membuang peluang utk memberi komen/pandangan utk dikongsi bersama di setiap tajuk yg Tun tulis. Kalau lambat, saya sentiasa bersangka baik mungkin Tun terlalu sebuk atau masih mencari ilham utk dibentangkan.
Tajuk kali ini dan masa ditulis menjadikan blog Tun ini sungguh dapat menarik ramai peminat utk berinteraksi. Tun bincang pandangan tentang berbagai2 tajuk ( politik, ekonomi, bangsa/bahasa, agama, sains & alam-sekitar, rekrasi dll) yg tetap dan sentiasa menyentuh kehidupan harian kita semua, keadaan tempatan atau dunia. Ini satu penyampaian ilmu utk kita semua menafa’atkannya.
Mungkin tak ramai dari kita yg dapat peluang utk melancung ke Itali atas berbagai2 sebab masing2. Tapi cerita Tun bolih memberi gambaran yg jelas yg bolih kita pelajari utk dilaksana dan dimenafa’atkan dalam hidup/tugas harian kita. Yang jelas bahawa pada pendapat saya, bila Tun melancung, sebenarnya TUN MELANCUNG SAMBIL BEKERJA/BELAJAR. Tapi sayang, ramai di anatara kita yg juga melancung tapi hanya utk berhibur, meluaskan pandangan atau berehat semata2 selain dari membeli-belah yg tak dapat dimenafa’at sebaiknya olih orang lain. Yang paling teruk sekali, apabila ada mereka2 dihantar secara tugas resmi utk “study tour” tapi mereka lebih menumpukan dan mengangap satu ” sesi bercuti di luar negara” sebagai habuan/hadiah dari tugas mereka. Inilah yg menyedihkan.
Yang pasti tajuk ini telah mendapat banyak feedback yg positif dan patut dihargai. Idea tersebut patut di ambil kira olih masyarakat terutama sekali pada golongan atau pihak2 yg bertanggungjawab.
Hanya saya tak setuju lansung dgn komen dari middleages – “religion should not exist “.. maksudnya dalam pembangunan di Langakawi “. Komen beliau pada keseluruhannya memang baik tapi ini telah mencacatkan isi kandungan komen beliau. Saya ingin mengingati beliau bahawa hidup yang sebenar adalah selepas mati bila kita semua akan bertemu dgn pencipta kita semua – Allah SWT, melainkan middleages adalah seorang yg memang tidak mengaku kewujudan Tuhan yang Esa.
Saya juga, sebagai penuntut dahulu, banyak pengalaman ketika menjelajah sebahagian benua Eropah dan seluruh Amerika utara dalam masa cuti musim panas. Dengan izin saya ingin mencatit sedut2an yg mungkin ada di antara kita bolih pelajari tetapi siapalah saya utk memberi gambaran bahawa memang benar pepatah Melayu, ” jauh perjalanan banyak pengalaman”. Walau bagaimana pun saya masih berpegang kpd satu lagi pepatah Melayu, ” hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri, masih baik di negeri sendiri”.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ischia)
Environmental problems
The sharp increase of the population between 1950 and 1980 and the growing inflow of tourists (in 2010 over 4 million tourists have visited the island at least one day) have increased the antropic pressure in the island. Significant acreage of land previously used for agriculture has been developed for the construction of houses and residential structures. Most of this development has been done without any planning and building permission. As the situation is today (end of 2011) the island lacks the most basic system for sewage treatment. The waters from the sewages are directly sent to the sea. One of the five communities of the island started in 2004 the civil works to build a plant for sewage treatment but since then the construction has not been achieved and it is currently stopped.
On 14 June 2007, there was a breakage in one of the four high‑voltage underwater cables forming the power line maintained by Enel S.p.A — although never authorized by Italian authorities — between Cuma on the Campania coast and Lacco Ameno on the island of Ischia. Inside each cable there is an 18 mm‑diameter channel filled with oil under high pressure.[13] The breakage of the Enel cable resulted in the spillage of oil into the sea and into other environmental matrices — with the consequent pollution by polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs, the use of which was banned by the Italian authorities as long ago as 1984), aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons (APHs) and linear alkyl benzenes (aromatic hydrocarbons) — in the ‘Regno di Nettuno’, a marine protected area, and the largest ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea, designated as a ‘priority habitat’ in Annex I to the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and comprising oceanic posidonia beds.
Tun
For Iskandar Shah 2.
I march to the sound of my own drums.
In the instances where I was able to help Malaysians especially Bumiputras and non-Bumiputras to be rich or very rich, I have done so wholeheartedly.
Most of them have very short memories.
I avoided direct participation in politics because of its nature which is unique to Malaysia and spent my whole life being involved in a direct socio-economic way.
In the past, my participation In real Malaysian Chinese politics, I would have lasted less than 5 years because the warts of human weakness did not show yet. Now, we can see very clearly the good and the bad in a life-time even in the foreign hero and icon of some Malaysians Lee Kuan Yew.
Please remember Iskandar Shah 2 we cannot choose our parents. So, I made the best use of what is in me like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad !
All Malaysians especially the Malaysian Chinese, be proud and do not feel shy, vote BN, you cannot go wrong !
Be filial to your hard-working parents !
Salam Tun,
“buy british last”, maybe that’s why Tun chose Italy. British tourism is as bad as The London Metal Exchange.
And Italy is where Renaissance Begins, the birth place of modern western Art, Culture and Science….I mean Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani, Alfa-Romeo.
Dear Tun.
Did the Italian ask for your advise on their economic difficulties? Who knows, with your reputation, you could advise on something.
If I’m the Finance Minister of Italy, I would sure ask for your opinion. It’s always best to have a second opinion.
Tun.
Yes. We can develop the hill slope. No problem. Like in spain, nice.
However, i think we better not. Why? Our housing developers are like vultures. They are the profiteering people that couldn,t careless about preservation or make good all work disturbed. Frankly, they are crook.
I used to work in the building industry. They are making minimum of 100% profit. Tu sebab harga rumah sekarang karut. Not worth. Over over exaggerated. But i dont blame them only, the bank is the major culprit. If the bank only allow 50% of the value of the house to be financed, we are having a big and cheaper house now.
So i think it is better we leave the hill slope like it is. Thats the only place for the trees to grow for now. So we better dont disturb that and enjoy it as much as we can.
Tun,
First and foremost the Govt. approving bodies must change or update their technical know-how and approval specification. Right now if anyone submit any plan for approval with new and/or innovative construction method or/and contraction material, the Govt Dept. will turn-down the application and if you ask why, the Govt servant will tell you to follow the rules. There is not imagination and innovation so how to improve Malaysia. Everyone want to be safe and sit on nice warm chair. Malaysia want to go “green” and they copy or adapt western green specification without giving consideration of Malaysia tropical environment. The westerners say use glass to allow more sun light we also follow blindly but glass will heat up the building and we got too much sun and sun light in Malaysia. We should go green in Malaysia by building more kampung style house which will suit our life-style and environment. Look at houses and buildings design in Malaysia, all conceal and then use air-con for ventilation. Those olden day long terrace houses are not as hot and stuffy as modern days terrace houses. Are we advancing or declining technically?
Salam Tun
1-If I want (and can afford)a second home I will choose to buy one at country homes at the Mines Resort City overseeing the 150 acres lake that used to be the largest open cast tin mine in the world belonging once to Mubarakchan’s father.
2-Langkawi is too far away and there is really nothing much to do there.I don’t like shopping anyway.I think if I stay there I will retire sooner from this earth.
3-If only the Perak Govt had developed Pangkor I would surely recommend everyone to take a second home there.Pangkor is so much nearer to our first homes in most part of West Malaysia.Esp if an access road is being built from KL to Lumut.
4-Too bad Perak never had a PM coming from this state.No wonder the BN is having a tough time to secure this state.Kelantan state was neglected because it supported the opposition but Perak had been the BN stronghold before.
5-For all your efforts for Kedah the people don’t appreciate you a little bit Tun.How could they reject the BN there?If you go to Langkawi you can see there are more PAS flags than there are UMNO’s.The Kedah people have taken you for granted.Maybe its a case of getting too much from you.
6-Why don’t you teach them a lesson by pushing Najib to develop Pangkor,Lumut and the rest of Perak?The BN will surely still be relevant there.I will surely love you so much more.
Selamat berpuasa Tun.
Salam Tun,
1. I have to disagree on your suggestion of high rise for Langkawi, i fear the Islands may actually sink several cm per year. Furthermore, high rise comes with inherent garbage disposal problem. Thirdly, it may spoil the landscape entirely.
2. Perhaps Maldives is a better model to follow. With over 500 islands ( when the tide is low they say ), they have very strict conservation rules. Even a pebble is not allowed to be taken, their argument is if that they have over a million tourists per year and if they do allow tourists to pick pebbles, they will soon be without, both pebbles and tourists !
3. I am biased. I hate modern buildings. Italians are different people than most Europeans. Not only are they artistic, they are also a happy and merry lot. Just look at the variety of their food. Anything anybody else in the world does, the Italians can do and with style.
4. Italian buildings are mostly old and historical. And they are proud of it. In comparison, Langkawi has no such history to show and build upon.
5. Therefore i suggest Langkawi be made the original oriental holiday destination, with all natural, all eco-friendly amenities. “Technology” should take a back seat. Animals and birds should be allowed to roam free. Religion should not exist.
6. Maybe then i might choose Langkawi as retirement home, because i really do not want to go to another Penang.
Thank You Tun
Selamat Berpuasa Tun,
I’m happy to hear that you enjoy your vocation in Italy.
In 2001, i had the opportunity to go to europe for the working purpose and KLIA that time is very new. I still remember on the return flight to KL, three quarter of passangers are “mat saleh”.
I m very sure that time, Our modernization is not well known to them and most propbably they imagined our country is full of forests infested by snakes and crocodiles.
Masa turun tu, nampak mat saleh dan minah saleh ni mcm terpegun dan kira2nya terpaku jugak kot.
At that time, I feel so proud to be Malaysian.
Alhamdulillah, you are A strong leader and not easily intimidated by the opposition parties who condemned the KLIA projects.
Thank You, Tun.
Peace.
1. Not only the Italian drivers are good drivers, they also drive good cars. IN GENERAL, continental cars have much more precise road handling than Japanese, Korean or Malaysian cars. A vehicle with a good road handling is much more easier, safer and fun to drive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_handling
2. For those who would like to see magnificent development of high rise condos on steep hill slopes, go to Hong Kong and take a tram ride up to The Peak (Victoria Peak).
http://www.thepeak.com.hk/en/
It will raining for days non stop during the rainy season in Hong Kong but… there is no land slide at these hill slopes.
3. Bali is among the most successful tourism island in the world. Most of the tourists (and also foreigner retirees) in Bali are Australians. This is basically due to the short distance between Australia and Bali and also the relatively low cost of travelling and cost of living in Bali compared to Australia. It is normal for the tourist from Australia to stay for weeks or months in Bali. However, the price which the locals need to pay is the high price of properties/real estates in Bali.
4. I think, Langkawi should focus on getting foreign tourists and retirees from Hong Kong, Macau, Taipeh (Taiwan), Ghuangzhou (China), Chennai (India) and Jakarta (Indonesia) as these cities have lots of rich people and the flight duration from these cities to Langkawi are relatively short. There should be more international flights from these cities to Langkawi.
5. I think, to control the prices of goods in Langkawi, Langkawi needs at least one or two hypermarket(s). I am not sure whether Onestop is considered as a hypermarket. This will help to push down the prices of goods. The physical size of the hypermarket(s) do/does not necessarily big. What’s important is their presence in Langkawi. However, this will then affect the business of smaller grocery shops and mini markets.
6. I also think that Langkawi should build more coastal roads which have beautiful views of the seas and beaches. When building these roads, the relevant authorities need to take into consideration the designated lane for bicycles.
Like what Putrajaya is doing right now, I think Langkawi should promote the island as a cycling destination. As such, more coastal roads need to be built, more trees need to be planted along the existing roads and the existing roads need to be upgraded by including designated lane for bicycle. The ferry services should also allow those who wish to bring their own bicycles on board the ferries.
Cycling for tourist is a common activity in Europe. As such, there are lots of cycling activities packages which also include proposed routes and tourist guides. Langkawi (and also Malaysia) should also promote cycle tour in Langkawi (and also in Malaysia).
http://www.cycletours.com/
http://www.visitnorway.com/en/What-to-do/Active-holiday/Routes/Top-ten-bicycling-routes/
Rgds.
Salam Tun,
This is my 1st time commenting in your blog after following it way back then. Just want to say hello to you n how amaze I am on your thought, ideas and everything you put on your blog. Although some are agreeable n some are not, in the sense of celebrating freedom of thought, I always feel a need in me to log in your blog once a while. Keep up writing a good message Tun.
Salam Ramadhan.
Salam Tun,
Wow, syoknya Tun dapat makan angin ke sana. Bukan nak bodek, tapi ini pendapat saya;
1. Tun pada suatu masa merupakan seorang saintis yang berfikir secara logikal, stail berfikir convergent…dalam penulisan Tun ini pun terdapat penjelasan yang berasaskan fakta, pemerhatian yang saintifik..
2. Tapi apabila membaca tulisan Tun yang menggambarkan keadaan di sana, terdapat unsur fikiran divergent, seni, unsur kecantikan, kenikmatan…
3. Elok jika kita semua dapat melihat sesuatu sambil otak berjalan, bukan tenguk saja…agama Islam mahu kita jadi macam inilah, tenguk contoh, tiru saja yang baik…copycat. Tapi tak tahulah jika mereka yang terlibat dalam pembangunan Langkawi membaca dan menganalisis buah fikiran Tun yang relevan dengan Langkawi. Copycat je idea Tun ni. Tun sudah tolong memproses apa yang sesuai sebelum memberi cadangan itu.
Good evening YAB,
18. Perhaps this Koh Samui’s would be better-off working on the soil of Langkawi due to the nature of its soft ground and nice folks who despised (not welcome) urbanization.
19. Beside home to cater retirees, if an established British college/university in nurturing language, “classical music”, arts and cultures can be invited to set up the branch there would increase macro-economic values in Langkawi too.
20. Nothing is impossible if there is will, skill and experiences.
Goodnight, YAB.
Assalamualaikum Tun,
Thank you Tun for sharing your holiday by describing the location with such details. I can imagine the picture except for the colours of the villas which you did not mention.
Wish you a wonderful Ramadhan for the rest of your holiday.
LANGKAWI MEMANG INDAH
MALAYSIA,DUNIA ISLAM MEMANG SUDAH DIKURNIAKAN DENGAN
REZKI,DENGAN HASIL BUMI YG MERLIMPAH
SAYANG ORANG ISLAM SENDIRI YG MERUNTUHKAN NIKMAH YG DIKURNIAKAN
NEGARA ARAB DI KURNIAKAN EMAS HITAM
TAPI ORANG PUTIH YG MEMUNAFAATKANNYA
NEGARA ISLAM ASIA SEPERTI MALAYSIA,INDONESIA
DIKURNIAKAN HASIL BUMI TAPI SAYANG
YANG MENGHASILKAN ADALAH PENDATANG
KEBANYAKAN ORANG KAFIR
SATU CONTOH TAMPARAN BAGI DUNIA ISLAM
YG SEMUANYA TANAH ISLAM DIRAHMATI ALLAH DENGAN KEKAYAAN
HASIL BUMI
ORANG ISLAM SENDIRI YG TIDAK TAHU MUNAFAATKANNYA
CONTOH TERDEKAT
SINGAPURA
TIDAK PUNYA APA HASIL BUMI PUN,BAHKAN SUMBER AIR PUN TAKDA
BOLIH DIKATAKAN SINGAPURA LEBIH 10 KALI KAYA MALAYSIA
DAN INDONESIA.MEREKA MEMPUNYAI RESERVES, MALAYSIA INDONESIA MASIH BERHUTANG
HARAP KITA SEDARI NIKMAH YG DIBERI
JANGAN SAMPAI KEHILANGAN
Tun,
The scenic beauty of Malaysian landscapes is world class, from Kota Kinabalu, the Highlands of Sarawak right through across to the legendary Langkawi.
We Malaysians do not appreciate the beauty of our homeland much because the Nation is endowed with all sorts of natural resources and tourism whether foreign or domestic is not taken seriously.
The sunset or the sunrise at certain spots are not appreciated as much as in other parts of the world. We still have to learn much to appreciate our own beautiful environment.
We should not be thinking of Oxford Street or Perth !
Take the case of the four Ministries eg. Health, Tourism, Housing Development and Transport, together I had always said these are very powerful and effective if sychronised to deliver. But alas ! If each is treated as a stand alone entity, there is nothing much that could be done.
In fact, the Ministry of Finance only places out money but these four Ministries together are even more powerful, effective and influential for the BN Government of the day !
Take the case of the Ministry of Transport, and I am not even talking about MAS or MISC, the North-South railway line actually provides a great boost to the Government if only the railway stations along the line are rejuvenated with amenities for the Rakyat eg convenient shops, cybercafes, amenities for youths, etc. But today, these have become slums.
But uplifting these stations with new activity will bring tremendous support to the BN Government in more ways than one eg. contractors are needed to upgrade these projects, etc. To my surprise, my pregnant daughter-in-law had to sit on the steps at the Sentral Inter City Platform because no benches were provided !
The Ministry of Health is linked to health tourism which is the trend for countries like Malaysia. It has a role to play with the production of medicines. Recently, to my surprise again, I found some generic drugs produced by some Asian owned factories situated in Selangor were not as effective as the original even though the same dosage was declared.
The Ministry of Housing Development is linked to tourism as well. The Government should be able to revive all abandoned projects if there is the will to do so.
Lastly, the Ministry of Tourism is the one of the most important Ministries in the Cabinet.
I remember that after World War 2, countries like Germany, Japan and parts of Italy were all flattened to the ground by carpet bombing of the Allies. Even after 10 years later, these countries were not fully recovered and tourism was the key industry to kick start all their economies.
Their Minister for Tourism never toured other countries.
They did not have the money ! If at all, they spent time making sure that the tourists got their money’s worth by enticing them with all sorts of incentives and discounts. In Malaysia, there are lots of hard work to do.
And to my further surprise, Sime Darby spent nine years promoting deep ocean racing in New Zealand. I would have thought charity begins at home !
And instead of Queen Elizabeth II receiving a gold medal from us in Malaysia for promoting tourism, we were awarded a gold medal from her in promoting English tourism at great expense together with the appropriate advertisements on London Transport buses in exotic London where there are a 1001 exotica to tempt the palate from exotic African dances to Kabuki dances than bland offerings from Malaysia.
The focus should have been India, China and the Middle East !
I was puzzled by the Minister and her entourage tour of the sparsely populated Antipodes at great expense when Sime Darby who operates there especially in Perth, could have paid the whole bill !
And now we have lots of silver haired folks flocking in because our requirements are cheap and way out of line. The minimum requirement should be at least RM 1.0 Million ! The world has changed fast, Tun !
You are right that Langkawi should be developed further with the proper rules and regulations to give it a world class flavour. All the requisite Ministries have to make a joint effort with the State to do so. On the assumption that Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir becomes the leader in the State, his insights into elevating the world class development of Langkawi will further put Malaysia into the map of exotic destinations without the dirt !
If there is the will, there is the way !
Tun, berapa purata harga se unit villa di island of Ischia tu?
Thank you.