Ferry terminal yet to reopen

JOHOR BARU: It used to be one of more than a dozen entry points in the state but the Kukup International Ferry terminal is fast developing into a hot potato for Pakatan Harapan in the Tanjung Piai by-election campaign.

The terminal was closed on Sept 1 and was to have reopened, but the state government has been switching dates for the reopening.

This is causing a lot of uneasiness among the folk in Kukup who rely on visitors from Tanjung Balai in Indonesia for business, food and transportation.

On Tuesday, Pakatan Harapan candidate Karmaine Sardini claimed that the reopening of the terminal on Nov 6 would bring Kukup town back to life.

However, that same evening, Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal announced that the terminal would not be opening due to what he termed “technical issues”.

The MB announced to the media yesterday that the state government had decided to take over the ferry terminal because the previous operator owed millions to the state, adding that the Johor Public Transport Corp (PAJ) would take charge.

“However, we still need to sort things out with the Indonesian side as they have not given the green light for services to resume to Tanjung Balai, ” he said, adding that discussions were still ongoing.

Barisan Nasional’s Tanjung Piai candidate Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng said the people were left disappointed as the government had been unable to keep its pledge on the reopening of the terminal.

“The terminal brings in tourists to Kukup, thus spurring economic activity in the area, ” he said, appealing to the state government to reopen the terminal quickly.

The terminal was closed after the state government terminated the agreement of the concession company. Berjasa’s candidate Datuk Dr Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz also called on the state government to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Source: TheStar