The district of Mersing is a top draw among travellers, thanks to its beautiful islands. — Photos: THOMAS YONG/The Star
Residents want busy road and bridge widened, more investment to create job opportunities for youths
OTHER than the beautiful islands, visitors travelling to Mersing will probably remember the long and bumpy ride they experience to get there.
Self-employed Kamal Abu Bakar, 45, said residents had been asking for the main road, Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing, to be widened as it was the only access route into the district.
“We have been requesting that it be upgraded, including installing street lights, for a long time.
“People in the district want the road widened from two lanes to four.
“Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing is the only road that connects us with other districts such as Kluang and Kota Tinggi as well as Johor Baru, which is about 130km away.
“There is no other way to come into Mersing and this road cuts through forests and oil palm plantations,” he said.
At night, visibility along the road is bad and the situation is made worse as wildlife such as elephants and tapir could be seen going across the road.
“The road is very dangerous and some of the accidents resulted in fatalities,” he added.
Kamal said Mersing was getting more popular among tourists, thanks to its islands like Pulau Rawa, Pulau Besar, Pulau Pemanggil, Pulau Sibu and Pulau Aur.
Kamal wants Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing upgraded to make it safer.
“Improving road conditions will definitely make Mersing a more attractive destination.
“It will also help spur the local economy,” he said.
Kamal also urged the government to upgrade Hospital Mersing.
“Now accident cases and those with serious health issues have to go to Hospital Sultanah Aminah or Hospital Sultan Ismail in Johor Baru,” he added.
Restaurant owner and cook Siew Chee Heng, 76, said the Mersing bridge, which connects the town to the east coast, is always congested during the festive season and long school holidays.
“The traffic jam is terrible and affects businesses in the town area as cars would be stuck for more than two hours,” he said, adding that the authorities should widen the bridge to accommodate the number of vehicles using the road.
Siew also said Hospital Mersing should be upgraded and have more medical staff.
Youths want more investment and jobs, says Sri Vengkat.
“We do not have specialists in the hospital.
“They only visit once a week and I hope this will change for the better soon,” he said.
Fresh graduate S. Sri Vengkat, 23, hopes the district can attract investment which will lead to more job opportunities for youths like him.
“I graduated with a degree in accountancy but it will be difficult for me to find a job in Mersing.
“I would need to go to Kuala Lumpur or Johor Baru but the cost of living in those cities is quite high,” he added.
Sri Vengkat is currently helping his parents look after their three sundry shops in Mersing town.
Siew says the congested Mersing bridge needs to be widened.
The Mersing parliamentary constituency, which includes the state seats of Endau and Tenggaroh, has 64,589 voters in total.
Outgoing Mersing MP Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad from Barisan Nasional-Umno, who has held the seat since 1999, will not be contesting for a sixth time.
In the last election, Abdul Latiff won Mersing with a 8,459-vote majority.
He left Umno in December 2018 to become an independent MP and joined Bersatu two months later.
In this year’s election, Mersing will see a five-cornered fight between Barisan-Umno’s Datuk Abd Latif Bandi, Perikatan Nasional-Bersatu’s Islahuddin Abas, Gerakan Tanah Air-Pejuang’s Nurfatimah Ibrahim, Pakatan Harapan-DAP’s Zulaikha Zaidi and Independent candidate Ismail Don.
