MOF to help Melaka bring economic change via island tourism

MELAKA: The Ministry of Finance (MOF) will help spur change to the economy of Melaka through a new tourism sector involving three islands in the state, namely, Pulau Undan, Pulau Nangka and Pulau Dodol which will be gazetted as a National Marine Park.

Deputy Finance Minister I Mohd Shahar Abdullah said the MOF supported the effort because it was one of the reform measures implemented by the government through the 2022 Budget which would be tabled at the end of the month.

"Today, I visited the islands to determine how the federal government can help spur the economic change of the Melaka government towards establishing a more sustainable and productive economy which have added value to the social environment and governance.

"Normally, Melaka is renowned for its land tourism economy compared to sea tourism, but with the proposal or effort being undertaken to gazette the three islands as a National Marine Park, it will provide a new attraction to tourists," he said.

He was speaking at a media conference after conducting a visit to several islands in the state including Pulau Undan here today.

SHAHAR-ISLAND 2 (LAST) MELAKA

He said the gazetting of the National Marine Park involving the three islands would turn it into the first marine park on the West Coast in the southern part of peninsula Malaysia.

He said the new economy would not only be enjoyed by the state government but also those in the tourism industry, especially the B40 populace to simultaneously boost their economy.

He said this could be done via various downstream tourism activities such as cockle rearing, scuba diving and island hopping.

Mohd Shahar said the economic change would indirectly boost efforts to protect and conserve marine life and habitat in the areas near the islands.

"We want to create a cyclical economy under the 12th Malaysian Plan (12MP) not only at the top level but also at the lower level in enhancing nature conservation and efforts to boost revenue and the economy of the state and country," he said.

Prior to this, the media reported that the three islands, namely, Pulau Undan, Pulau Nangka and Pulau Dodol were proposed to be gazetted as the first National Marine Park area in Melaka covering an area one nautical mile from the beach.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries I Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah was reported to have said the waters of the islands were proposed to be gazetted under Section 41 of the Fisheries Act 1985 (Act 317) to ensure the sustainability of the marine biodiversity in Melaka.

-- BERNAMA