Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan who expressed his concern made the suggestion to avoid “banana trees from fruiting twice” (a similar situation recurring).
It is also to ensure the country's sovereignty over Pulau Pisang and to prevent Singapore from making a claim on the island, located some five kilometres from the coast of Pontian, Johor. This is what he said:
“Why should Singapore be allowed to keep the lighthouse there? Wisma Putra told me that under the present agreement, Singapore is allowed to maintain the lighthouse as long as it is still being used and for as long as there are stars and a moon.
“But in this day and age, no ship uses a lighthouse and all of them now rely on global positioning system and radar to guide them. So what’s the use of the lighthouse?” he said.
The Government, Ahmad added, should develop the island into a tourist and recreation area.
“In fact, I have proposed for the island to be included into a national park nearby,” he said, adding that besides the lighthouse, Pulau Pisang - comprising four smaller islands - now housed some fruit orchards and two smallhouses. - The star
