Rethink plans to develop Pulau Jerejak

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY share Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin’s concerns on the need to conserve Pulau Jerejak, “PKR MP: Don’t turn Pulau Jerejak into another Sentosa Island” ( The Star, Nov 19).

Pulau Jerejak is the biggest of Penang’s five lesser known outer lying islands and also the closest. Growing up, I saw this beautiful island from the window of my room every day and it often evoked a sense of tranquillity and mystery. In those days, I always wondered what might be hidden in this beautiful green paradise.

While Penang Island kept developing and the population grew, Pulau Jerejak seemed to stay cocooned in a time capsule, evergreen and untouched.

When reports started surfacing in mid-October about plans for the island to be developed, I, like many other Penangites, was totally flabbergasted. It was not just the fact that Pulau Jerejak would be developed which bewildered all of us but also the massive scale in which it was to be done. To add salt to the wound, when the plans were announced, they had already been approved without a public consultation or even any mention of an environmental impact assessment (EIA). Isn’t it a requirement for a detailed EIA, which includes public consultation, to be carried out before development of this scale is approved?

It also surprises me that the gazetting of the 295ha Pulau Jerejak forest reserve is going on at snail’s pace while it seemingly takes only a short time to approve development plans.

As Sim so accurately put it, Pulau Jerejak is Penang’s treasure, and though many of us here have not set foot on it or are familiar with its surroundings, we would definitely not want to know it as yet another developed isle with towering condominiums and hotels. Indeed, calls have been made to emulate Singapore by making Jerejak a Sentosa Island to benefit the state economy.

However, not many seem to take the example of Pulau Ubin, another of Singapore’s outlying islands, which has been made an ecotourism destination.

Unlike Sentosa, Pulau Ubin is preserved in its beautiful and idyllic state and has become a popular tourist destination for both Singaporeans and international tourists alike. Many visit Pulau Ubin to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Wouldn’t it be better if Pulau Jerejak is developed along the lines of Pulau Ubin, a green state park where locals and tourists can soak in the beauty of nature just minutes away from the busy Penang metropolis? And to add to that, Jerejak’s illustrious history as the Alcatraz of Malaysia and a quarantine centre, which is unique and perhaps not well known.

The underlying problem is Pulau Jerejak has never been marketed aggressively for ecotourism or its heritage and thus its true value is not really known.

While many cities spend huge amounts of money creating green lungs, Penang is blessed in that we have both green hills and a green island like Pulau Jerejak.

We can’t afford to trade this beautiful island for development. A serious rethink has to be done on the plans for the island and a consultation with the public and environmental groups must be carried out soonest.

Gazette the forest reserve immediately and focus on the rich heritage that this island already has to offer instead of turning it into something which it’s not meant to be.

Penangites are in dire need of more green spaces for recreation and ecotourism and Jerejak is a perfect place for this.

We need to save that which remains. Pulau Jerejak is our heritage. Save it for our children.

REXY PRAKASH CHACKO Gelugor