Terengganu Oh ! Terengganu

I came to this State in 1962 and I was 12 years of age then and when I arrived here I was quite taken by the fact that it was lined with miles and miles of beautiful beaches on one side of the highway and rice fields on the other. This is no more true toady as most of the beaches are crowded by resorts and shalets and the beach itself littered with garbage while on the other side of the road is lined with newly constructed homes some right smack in the middle of what used to be rice fields.

The weather was a little cooler back then too with trees lining up both side of the roads and especially along the beaches there were more trees like the casuarina and the coconut trees but today most of the casuarinas have either fallen into the ocean or chopped down to make way for construction. It is not that I am anti development or progress by any means but it is still sad to see the changes taking place over the years and not for the better at least not for the environment. Where there were once numerous species of birds inhabiting the rice fields and coastal areas today one has to travel all the way into the interior to find any kind of exotic bird or fish for that matter. The turtle species has suffered the most over the years from over harvesting of the eggs for local consumption and from disturbances of their hunting grounds. However today efforts are being aggressively taken to remedy the situation by the State as well as Federal government, (I hope). Fish, the primary source of food and was at one time cheap and available in abundance is today at times more expensive than the big cities like Kuala Lumpur due to export. The fisherment makes better income by sellng their catch to buyers from Singapore and the west coast than selling them locally. The locals today has to make do with not so fresh a catch imported from Thailand.

Terngganu Darul Iman, the Land of Faith where Islam is the predominant religion so much so that you can hear the call to prayer from five different mosques and suraus at any given time. Even most of the Chinese here do not eat pork and they speak Malay as fluently as the Malays with the typical Terengganu Dialect. The people here are almost fanatical when it comes to their religion but not everyone here are hung up on it. Terenggnau a year ago was governed by the opposition or PAS party after the defeat of governing party or the Barisan National (National Alliance) during the 1998 election. I was impressed by the audacity by which the people of Terenggnau rallied together and voted out the federal government afte some 25 odd years of political shanagans. However the repurcussion came swiftly as the the then Prime Minister Tun Mahathir laid down boom on the people of the State of Terenggnau. He first deprived them of the Petroleum Royalties which crippled the state budget and then followed by one cut back after another untill Terenggnau became a Pariah State.

Fortunately today the running of the State government is back in the hands of the Barisan National and after a year of being under the care of the present prime Minister Terenggnau is beginning to awaken from her long dark slumber. Her Menteri Besar or chief minister is a radical western educated action oriented individual and it is with hope that in the next few years would see that this state will surpass all other states in the country in terms of the best place to raise a family.



Terenggnau is located on the east coast of the Malay peninsular along the South China Sea. She has some of the most pristine beaches and a handful of Islands where diving spots are available. Terengganu also has an abundance of wild tropical forest where those who like to explore the rainforest can have a field day. The food is realtively cheap and the people are still realtively hospitable, so if you are looking for a place to spend your next vacation this might be a place for you. I am sure you can gather alot more information of the state from the tourist department via the net if you are trully intrested.