AFTER having served four years as the Penang Botanic Gardens curator, Datuk Dr Saw Leng Guan is calling it a day at the oldest garden in Malaysia. And just before he officially departs, he has called for his successor and staff there to stand strong in their commitment to turn this gardens into a world premier destination.
While the Penang Botanic Gardens can still be improved tremendously in various areas for the delight of the people, Saw said the gardens, nevertheless, must be commended for its unusual yet unique location as it is placed just about three to five kilometres from the city centre and neighbouring beautiful natural forests.
“The set up here is very hard to find elsewhere, and the fact that it sits so close to the natural forests is what makes it so unusual yet very unique.
“This is what it really means by nature at its best!
“Personally, for someone who has been in this field for over three decades now, Penang Botanic Gardens has some of the best natural amenities that even words wouldn’t be able to describe the feeling.
“The structure of this gardens is exquisite and that’s also one of the factors that makes it stands out,” Saw told Buletin Mutiara during an exclusive interview at the Penang Botanic Gardens department on May 27.
Also, during the interview, Saw said when he was appointed as the gardens curator in 2017, he had spent the first two years revising the gardens special area plan (SAP) with the ultimate goal of revitalising the space for people from afar and near to enjoy.
“After completely revising the SAP, my team and I had worked on a few things within this space, which include the setting up of an understory plant house at the front of the gardens.
“Other efforts such as installing QR codes on metal plates that were placed next to the trees and plants should also be mentioned as a successful mission.
“This was important because there are over 400 species of plants and trees here. Therefore, it would be beneficial for visitors to scan the QR codes and learn more about the trees and plants,” Saw added.
When asked on future developments within the gardens, Saw said the SAP, which covers an area of 212ha, has plans to further improve the garden composition, visitor facilities, plant collection management, existing hiking trails and build a new viewing and tower deck near the waterfall located at the inner part of the gardens.
“For this to happen and to make this garden even more special in near future, we need people power. When I say people power, it means a very strong team administering these efforts in the department.
“How do gardens look good? It is the people’s responsibility to assure it looks and remains good.
“Gardens is a place where we put plants together and tell a story. And to tell a story, you may not necessarily need to have the relevant education, but sometimes all you need is the will to go the extra mile and of course, being truly passionate on what really matters to you,” Saw added.
Separately, after having seen it all, 65-year-old Saw’s next vision in life is not small, but truly ambitious as the Taiping boy has now set his sights on broadening his knowledge on palm trees and to conclude the study with a thorough documentation.
Although born in Taiping, Saw completed his primary and secondary studies in Malacca and Klang.
He has a Degree in Botany from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and a Masters and PhD in the same programme from the University of Reading, United Kingdom.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Ahmad Adil Muhamad