Public wants Tanjung Bidara Beach to be revived as tourist destination

By Mohd Fakri Awang Lah

ALOR GAJAH, Nov 11 -- About two decades ago, local as well as international tourists thronged Tanjung Bidara beach to delight in its beauty.

Located about 10 kilometres from Masjid Tanah under the Alor Gajah Municipal Council, its soft, white sandy beach beckoned visitors, offering them a retreat to relax their mind and body from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Deemed a worthy rival of  Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan for a short family vacation, Tanjung Bidara bright future has slowly dimmed over the years as visitors prefer to spend their vacation time at Pengkalan Balak beach, located about four kilometres away.

A private sector employee, who only wanted to be known as Tok Karim, 55, claimed that the presence of wild monkeys had led to the decline of visitors to the beach, prompting them to throng Pengkalan Balak instead.

"This monkey problem has been going on for more than 10 years. It makes people who come for picnics feel uncomfortable as they are often disturbed by these monkeys, stealing their food.

“This has left the beach to be deserted even though the state government has spent a lot of money to build public facilities such as food stalls, gazebos for visitors to rest, toilets, bathrooms, parking spaces and so on but people still prefer Pengkalan Balak beach,” he told Bernama.

Sharing his sentiment, Rosli Abd Saghir, 46 said the state government should take necessary actions to tackle the wild monkey issue so that the beach will once again be alive with visitors.

"Tanjung Bidara beach is very interesting because it is located in the bay area, so the beach is shallow and the waves are not very big, the water is also clear ... suitable for family picnics and swimming," he said.

A visitor from Sitiawan, Perak, Mohd Azmi Mohd Nor, 56, said it was his first time at the beach, adding that he was disappointed that the area was not as lively as Pengkalan Balak.

He said he heard stories about Tanjung Bidara beach when he was young and decided to visit it as well as other tourist spots in Melaka.

“I admit the facilities here are good but I’m disappointed that only one food stall is open.  Maybe the situation is different at weekends,” he added.

The beach is located in Tanjung Bidara state constituency, considered a hot seat in the Melaka state election as it is set to witness a three-cornered fight involving UMNO state liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh, Deputy Minister in Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Mas Ermieyati who is also Masjid Tanah member of Parliament and Masjid Tanah Bersatu chief and Zainal Hassan of Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Tanjung Bidara constituency has 10,1333 registered voters.

In the 14th General Election Datuk Md Rawi Mahmud of Barisan Nasional won the seat with a majority of 2,864 votes after he defeated Datuk Halim Bachik (PKR) and Imran Abdul Rahman (PAS).

The Election Commission (EC) has fixed early voting for the polls on Nov 16 and polling on Nov 20 following the dissolution of the state assembly after four state assemblymen withdrew their support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali's leadership.

-- BERNAMA