PORT DICKSON – Singaporean healthcare administrator Juita Mohamed visited Port Dickson once in 2010. She never returned.
“There is nothing much there,” she said. “It’s the kind of place where you go once and you’ve already seen what they’re known for.”
Her verdict sums up a persistent problem for a seaside town that has, ironically, attracted much political star power over the years.
This was where Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim staged his return to Parliament in 2018, following his royal pardon. Today, the federal constituency is represented by Negeri Sembilan caretaker Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun – who has led the state government since Pakatan Harapan (PH) took power in 2018.
Yet the sleepy coastal town still bears the marks of stalled development, from abandoned buildings to a tourism industry struggling to compete with Penang and Desaru, even as budget airlines make overseas holidays ever more accessible.
Meanwhile, Aminuddin, having spent nearly two decades in the Sikamat state seat, is making a high-stakes move to contest in Linggi at the Aug 1 state election.
Located within the Port Dickson parliamentary constituency, Linggi is historically an UMNO stronghold and remains under the party’s control today.
A key initiative under Aminuddin’s administration is the RM103.1 billion (S$32.6 billion) Malaysia Vision Valley 2.0 (MVV 2.0) project, an ambitious economic growth corridor stretching from Nilai to Port Dickson that could turn around the fortunes of the town.
The project seeks to transform the district into a regional hub for tourism, logistics and trade through flagship projects including a free trade zone and an AI-powered smart container port.
With MVV 2.0 finally breaking ground as the PH government marks eight years into its term, the question voters in Port Dickson are asking is this: Will this time be different?
A tale of two towns
Just over an hour’s drive south from Kuala Lumpur, Port Dickson’s 18km coastline helped establish it as one of Malaysia’s earliest beach holiday destinations.
According to the Malaysian Association of Hotels’ Negeri Sembilan chapter chairman Haziz Hassan, hotels continue to enjoy strong occupancy during peak periods, with Singaporeans making up some 10 per cent of visitors.
“On weekends and holidays, occupancy is usually above 80 per cent,” he told The Straits Times.
Weekday occupancy, however, falls to between 40 per cent and 50 per cent. Haziz believes Port Dickson’s tourism industry still has considerable room to grow: “There is a lot of untapped potential.”
Several hotels have recently undergone refurbishment, while others, including Corus Paradise Resort and The Grand Beach Resort, are currently being renovated.
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