Pulau Pisang: Another banana skin for M'sia?

Pulau Pisang : Another banana skin for Malaysia - Malaysiakini

May 26, 08 3:45pm

Another island, another lighthouse operated by Singapore - will the government lose Pulau Pisang the way it

embarrassingly lost Pulau Batu Puteh to its southern neighbour?Pontian parliamentarian Ahmad Maslan from the ruling Barisan Nasional said in a statement that the government should now act swiftly to protect the sovereignty of Pulau Pisang, situated about 15km off the Johor coastline in the Straits of Malacca.

In 1900, Sultan Ibrahim of Johor handed the island to the British colonial administration based in Singapore.

A 16-metre lighthouse was built on the highest peak of the island and has been managed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

Pas Youth chief Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil, in a separate statement, urged Malaysia to meet with Singapore to determine ownership over the island. He pointed out that:

• The Marine Department of Malaysia does not list the Pulau Pisang lighthouse as one of the 14 lighthouses managed by the government.

• Data from the University of North Carolina states that the lighthouse is owned and managed by Singapore.

• The Lighthouse Depot website recognises Singapore’s authority in managing the island, so long as the lighthouse is in operation, even though the island is located in Malaysian territory.

• MPA has indicated that Singapore is still managing the lighthouse.

Suggesting the bilateral talks should be held to enable Malaysia to take over management of the lighthouse, Khairul also said development and management activities should be established to mark Malaysian authority over the island.

In addition, the government should ascertain that no agreement was ever made to hand the island to Singapore.

“The government should act quickly resolve this situation so that the rakyat will not have the nightmare of twice losing an island,” added Khairul.

Last Friday, the International Court of Justice ended a 28-year dispute over Pulau Batu Puteh by ruling that Singapore has jurisdiction over the island, which it calls Pedra Branca.