“GROUND control to Major Tom, take your protein pills and put your helmet on,” sang David Bowie as his hit Space Oddity sound tracked the first lunar landing in 1969. It was ground breaking and monumental, both the song and the event.
Now, it seems a similarly spectacular space project is about to be launched in Pahang!
It had been reported by national news agency Bernama that an International Space Port was to be built in Pahang and was expected to be completed in the next three to five years.
This was according to state Investment, Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman Datuk Mohamad Nizar Najib who revealed the recent inking of a letter of intent (LOI) between the Pahang State Development Corp (PKNP) and China Great Wall Industry Corp-Lestari Angkasa Sdn Bhd.
The LOI which materialised on April 15 aims to establish strategic cooperation in the development of the space technology sector in Malaysia.
Nizar who is also the Peramu Jaya state assemblyman said the facility which will be the first international rocket launch site in Southeast Asia is expected to create 2,350 job opportunities and generate economic spillover effects, particularly in the tourism and research sectors.
Sharing the news piece was Rafizah Cian Lin, a respected Chinese language teacher and translator who has a high profile online in trying to bridge the linguistic gap between the Chinese and Malay languages.
The Beijing Language and Culture University graduate is known for her attempts at fostering better understanding between the Chinese and other communities in Malaysia via the dissemination of relevant news.
The linguist’s post on Facebook has attracted a number of queries and comments, not all positive.
‘Too ambitious a project’
Was this space project a need or simply a vanity project? And more pertinently whose money, asked one commenter.
Some wondered whether the project will have benefits for local workforce and even the ownership of the rocket was called into question.
Some were concerned of the environmental impact that this project would have. How large a land area would need to be sacrificed as the buffer zone given that Malaysia “is only a small nation (compared to China)”?
One netizen simply saw this ‘feel good’ announcement as a diversion tactic from the many issues bedevilling the Madani administration.
The recent visit by China premier Xi Jinping which was the precursor to this joint venture (JV) agreement had been hounded by those with a xenophobic outlook.
An example of that was provided by one commenter who painted an alarmist scenario of locals being subjugated and bullied.
Such sentiments were more subtly echoed by another netizen who warned that the country should not be used as a stepping stone for other nations.
One netizen warned of China’s imperialistic intentions with such projects, arguing it was no different from past colonialists who also spread its influence under other pretexts. A deft hand at diplomacy was required, he counselled.
As can be seen from the various comments, there is a fair bit of scepticism regarding this rocket launch base.
Fair play as it is, citizens obviously have the right to question and not swallow everything blindly.
In the meantime, what local song will accompany the maiden launch from this proposed Pahang base is what FocusM wants to know. – April 28, 2025
