Muhyiddin appeals to Johor Sultan: Return status of Pulau Kukup

PETALING JAYA (Dec 11): Home minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today explained that a national park and Sultanate land is not the same and has appealed to the Johor sultanate to revert Pulau Kukup to its national park status.

"Degazetting and transferring the national park into sultanate land is changing the ownership. I appeal to the Sultan to return it to what it was before. Now, any party can go in (to develop),” The Star reported Muhyiddin saying at the Parti Pribumi Malaysia Bersatu (PPBM) headquarters here today.

"I am not an outsider. I am a Johorean. Anyone knows the status of a national park and sultanate land is not the same, Pulau Kukup can be better managed under the old arrangement (as national park)," he said.

Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has said a few days ago that “outsiders should not meddle on matters related to Johor”, referring to the status of Pulau Kukup.

Later, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that Putrajaya is not an “outsider” as far as the Pulau Kukup issue is concerned.

“Malaysians are not outsiders. The Federal Government is not an outsider. We are responsible for all things in the country,” Dr Mahathir said.

According to a report by The Malay Mail, Muhyiddin also said he was “angered” by the discovery of Pulau Kukup’s change of status from a national park.

Muhyiddin added he was “closely involved in introducing laws to protect the state's parks” when he was menteri besar of Johor.

“Pulau Kukup is very beautiful, one of the most precious places in the world, and we should be proud of that,” Muhyiddin said.

The six national parks in Johor are Endau-Rompin Peta, Endau-Rompin Selai, Tanjung Piai, Pulau Kukup, Gunung Ledang, and Sultan Iskandar Marine Park.

Reports have mentioned that Pulau Kukup is one of five Ramsar sites in the country.

The Convention on Wetlands, or the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.