PULAU PISANG LIGHT: A NON-MALAYSIAN LIGHTHOUSE ON A MALAYSIAN ISLAND

Pulau Pisang is a small island situated off the western coast of the Malaysian state of Johor at the southern end of the Straits of Malacca. The island is about 12 kilometres from Pontian Kechil and 5 kilometres from the town of Benut and is the site of the Pulau Pisang Light, a lighthouse guiding ships into the western entrance of the busy Singapore Strait. From colonial times, the Pulau Pisang Light has always been recognised as within the territory of the independent Sultanate of Johor. The Sultanate of Johor became a British protectorate in the twentieth century and upon independence, Johor became one of the states within Malaysia. Currently, the lighthouse is managed and operated by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore and the lighthouse precinct is off limits to Malaysians. This article examines the status of Pulau Pisang as an island under Malaysian sovereignty. This article further looks at the possible future implications should Singapore continue to manage the Pulau Pisang Light that instigates the question: Will Pulau Pisang become another Pedra Branca?