The Story of Sialu Island
2012
The forgo for gotten tten isla isl and of o f Pul Pulau au Sialu Sialu By Satiman Jamin
Officially, it does not exist. That is the most beguiling of the long list of interesting facts about Pulau Si Sialu, a two-hectare two-hectare island island off off Minyak Beku Beku in Batu Batu Pahat Pahat, Johor. The rocky isl island and was certainly there physically, with the white tower of an abandoned lighthouse on its western side as a reminder of its glorious and important past. But the island is not listed in the Area and Perimeter Information of States, Districts and Islands in Malaysia - a book compiled and published in 2005 by the Malaysian Surveys and Mapping Department (JUPEM). The book listed even tiny, immeasurable rocks in Malaysian waters, so, by comparison, this relatively large island should have been guaranteed a place in it. Alu-alu Pulau Sialu, Sayang Segenting Kampung Cina, Ikan tergantung, kucing menunggu, Belum tahu siapa yang punya.
The above pantun by the local Orang Asli Duano community who inhabited the island until 1970s succinctly paraphrased the unknown status of the island as a result of its exclusion from the book. The Duano are probably the most knowledgeable people about the island as they had lived on it for hundreds of years, after the pirate menace in the waters there was wiped out. Pulau Sialu got its name from the Malay phrase sial lalu, or path of misfortune, as it used to be a hideout for pirates who robbed and plundered any vessel that was unfortunate enough to pass near the Island. The history of the lighthouse on the island was closely related to the Orang Asli as their leader, or Tok Batin, was made the caretaker of the first lighthouse built there on March 1, 1894, by the Datuk Bentara Luar of Johor. 1|Page
The Story of Sialu Island
2012
Johor Malaysian Historical Society Research Bureau Chief, Zaaba Abdul Samad, said the lighthouse was built of logs and about seven metres tall. "Tok Batin Rahmat was made the caretaker of the lighthouse, and the necessary equipment, tools and kerosene for the lighthouse were supplied to him on a monthly basis," he said.
The lighthouse was replaced with the current concrete structure in 1913, the one and only concrete structure amongst the wooden huts of the Orang Asli village that surrounded it. An Orang Asli who used to live on Pulau Sialu, Salmah Juang, 48, said there were around 200 Orang Asli on the island in the 1960s and 1970s. "There was even a primary school there, SK Kampung Pulau Sialu, which I attended until Standard Three," she said. The community left the island in 1978, after the lighthouse ceased operations as it was replaced by the new, Japanese-funded Segenting Lighthouse, atop Segenting Hill on the mainland.Segenting Hill overlooked the island, situated just across the narrow straits separating the island from the mainland, and it was more favourable as a lighthouse site due to its higher elevation. Now, the abandoned lighthouse is the only man-made structure left on the island, but its past role, contributions and historical values appear negated by the sorry state it is I The iron spiral ladder to the top of the lighthouse tower had rusted so badly that it disintegrates into flakes of rust when stepped upon, a danger to anybody who dares climb it. The space inside the tower is so small that only a single person can stand there, with barely enough space to move unhindered.A metal plaque set into the base of the lighthouse marked the Joint Tidal Study conducted by Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Japan in 1978, which could have led to the demise of the lighthouse the same year. 2|Page
The Story of Sialu Island
2012
Only concrete pillars of the school remained at its site on the northern side of the island, as the wooden building had succumbed to the elements soon after it was abandoned. Similarly, the concrete steps were all that was left of the surau on the eastern side of the island, and there, on the track leading to the surau, "KG PULAU SIALU" was inscribed in the cement of the walkway. The jungle has begun to reclaim the island, and the cacti plant, once gracing the flower pots of the villagers, has now conquered the barren rocks overlooking the Malacca Straits. The terubok fish that was once abundant here has gone, and fishermen operating in the area now have turned to collecting cockle spats - each boat harvesting around three tonnes of it from the seabed around the island a day. Despite the abundance of the cockle spats, the waters are not suited for the cockles Anadara granosa to grow to adult size as they would die when the water currents changed at around February.Fishermen suggest the setting up of a research station on cockle breeding at the island as this will allow researchers to study the peculiarity of the waters around it that allows cockle spats to flourish but does not not allow them to grow into adult cockles. A research station would also bring back the island from obscurity, something that the Tourism Ministry could not do even after listing the island as a potential tourist destination on its website. Obviously, none of the Tourism Ministry officers had visited the island as some potential visitors were told they could walk to the island during low tide, only to discover that it was not possible to do so even at the lowest of tides. The beam of light flashing from the Segenting Lighthouse contrasted so vividly with the forlorn, unlit tower of its predecessor on Pulau Sialu, the forgotten island that had once guided ships, but now seems so lost. Tue, Jul 01, 2008 The News Straits Times 3|Page
