Malacca Eyes China’s Ferris Wheel

After almost four months since the Eye on Malaysia has been left idle due to a legal tussle with its owners, the state government is now eyeing the possibility of getting a replacement ferris wheel from China.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the state was considering replacing the current 62m ferris wheel following a breakdown in negotiations with the Belgian company Fitraco NV. “We have offered to lease it from the company with 20% profit sharing but they seem to be more interested in looking for a buyer,” he said.

If negotiations were to fail, he said the state was looking at a 90m Chinese ferris wheel, which only cost about RM7mil, to replace the current Eye On Malaysia.

“We may reuse the name Eye on Malaysia for the new wheel or even change its name to the Eye on The Straits of Malacca,” he said, adding that the company must then remove their wheel in due course.

It was learnt that the state had offered RM10mil, including profit sharing to the company that was seeking RM18mil for their wheel.

The ferris wheel, the tallest in the country, was brought in by MST Ad Suria Sdn Bhd after taking a lease with Fitraco, a specialist in leasing entertainment equipment.

The wheel was placed at Tasik Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur as part of the Visit Malaysia Year campaign in 2007.

Ad Suria subsequently entered into a joint venture agreement with state subsidiary Kumpulan Melaka Berhad in September 2008 to bring the Eye On Malaysia to Kota Laksamana next to the Malacca River.

On Sept 15 last year, Fitraco filed a suit at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to recover a RM17mil debt owed to the company by Ad Suria.

Fitraco succeeded in gaining control of the ferris wheel on Jan 7 this year and was subsequently granted the right by the High Court to take possession and remove it.

**taken from theStar Metro Section (11 May 2010)

Pulau Redang For The Rich And Famous

A report from The Star said "Pulau Redang aims to lure the rich with room rates no less than RM1,600". This is not good. If the state government continue with their plan, soon we'll need a lot of money just to spend a few days at the beautiful Redang island. They have a plan to turn the island into a getaway exclusively for the rich and famous.

Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said the state government would no longer approve the construction of chalet-type accommodation on the renowned island, which is much visited by the diving community. “Only hotels rated five-star and above will be allowed to be built,” he said.

In future, only wealthy individuals would be able to afford holidays in Pulau Redang as hotel rooms will cost no less than US$500 (RM1,599) a night, Datuk Ahmad Said said. And current chalets catering for backpackers would have to upgrade and also raise their rates.


Datuk Ahmad Said defended the plan as the only way to save the surrounding rich marine life and prevent environmental destruction due to pollution and indiscriminate littering.

A chalet operator, Nik Kamal Nik Husin, 43, said the move would only burden the villagers on the island as many were renting out rooms to budget travellers. The state government, he said, should build a centralised sewage treatment to deal with the waste disposal problem.

Pulau Redang is a jewel for Terengganu and the 10th most beautiful island in the world. It is a popular holiday destination for locals as well as foreigners, attracts about 100,000 visitors annually including many who flock there to visit the marine park.