Highlands Developments in Malaysia

Abstract

The main Titiwangsa mountain range straddles north to south of Peninsular Malaysia and soars to more than 3000 m a.s.l. After independence of 1957, Genting Highlands in Pahang was the first intensive highland development with a casino and a theme city. Due to recent economic development pressure, more intensive developments of these highlands have been proposed and carried out by the government and developers. Some were received warmly by the people while others were hotly contested by the public, especially by non-governmental organizations. Hill resort development which was small scales and sustainable in nature could be found in Fraser Hill, Penang Hill, and Cameron Highlands. This paper analyzes these highland developments and the public’s responses to them. In addition it analyzes the government responses to the public oppositions and the measures taken to improve the sustainability of these highland developments. Some notable cases presented are the proposed Penang Hill development and the Cameron Highlands tourism activities. The paper analyzes these highland developments descriptively and is a rather fairly comprehensive overview of highland development in Peninsular Malaysia.