NOW that the national spotlight is on Port Dickson, I hope the government, in particular the Negri Sembilan state government in collaboration with the Tourism Ministry will focus on its development as a haven for tourists.

Looking at PD’s potential as a popular tourist destination, one wonders why the state government did not have the foresight to augment its development in a better-planned way. One wonders why they did not realise that to woo the market of holiday seekers, a beach resort needs more than economy hotels and cheap apartments. In fact, some of these developments are so badly designed they have become architectural eyesores alongside the pollution of the area’s beaches and waters.
At the top of the agenda must be the completion or replacement of these projects with more credible ones and the spring-cleaning of Port Dickson.

Sadly, outstanding buildings like the rambling government guest houses tucked into the coves and lagoons have been demolished and along with it the state’s history and legacy. Ru Lodge, the VVIP guest house with its sprawling grounds and bridge connecting it to an off-shore gazebo, once hosted the country’s rulers, leaders and visitors. When the tasteful colonial structure should have been restored and preserved for posterity, it was torn down and replaced by an uninspiring modern development.

The Blue Lagoon and the fifth mile stretch in front of the army camp once boasted clear waters and clean sands and were the haunt of holidaymakers and picnickers.

When a national site like Port Dickson has been blessed with so much scenic landscape, the efforts to develop it for modern life and its amenities must be done with the utmost care and attention. The development of infrastructure must be planned and streamlined tastefully, not in the haphazard way that PD has endured in the last 25 years.    

Source: The Sun – October 6, 2009