By WATI ANDI SAMSIAR
KOTA KINABALU: The state government is in the process of re-gazetting the Kinabatangan wildlife sanctuary as a protected area under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment.
Currently, the area is under the State Land Ordinance.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman said the Land & Survey Department and Forestry Department were in the process of finalising the matter.
He was commenting on a news report in a national daily that the 26,000ha sanctuary billed as Malaysia’s “Gift to Earth” was facing massive destruction.
The area is presently managed by the Kinabatangan District Office and not the Sabah Wildlife Department.
“We are doing it now for better protection of the area,” Musa said to reporters after receiving dividend payment of RM5.052 million to the state government from Warisan Harta Sabah Sdn Bhd and a loan re-
payment amounting to RM4,695,850.16 from Sabah Housing & Town Development Authority (SHTDA) at his office here yesterday.
He also said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had called him to find out more about the matter following the news report.
“I’ve explained to the Prime Minister that the state government is in the process of re-gazetting the area,” he said.
According to Musa who is also Finance Minister, Wildlife officers have every right to go to any area where there was poaching against protected wildlife species.
The Chief Minister also said there were no large scale illegal logging in the Kinabatangan area.
“There are ‘bantalan’ activities (small-scale tree felling) carried out by villagers for their own use,” he said.
Meanwhile, Musa said he would get the Kinabatangan District Office to investigate and monitor development along the Kinabatangan riverbank and indiscriminate land clearing in the area.
“I will also bring up the matter in the next State Cabinet meeting,” he added.
The Star reported on Monday that in the last four years alone, 20 per cent of the 100-million-year-old forest had been estimated to have been cleared, threatening endangered animal species like the Borneo pygmy elephants, orang utans, proboscis monkeys and hornbills.
Besides the danger of losing these animals, the ecotourism industry is also bracing itself for tougher times due to the illegal encroachment into the Lower Kinabatangan, where the sanctuary is sited.
Thousands of tourists, both foreigners and locals visit the sanctuary each year to sample its rich fauna and flora.
Yesterday, Warisan Harta and SHTDA were represented by their chairman, Datuk Dr Pataware Patawe and Datuk Rubin Balang, respectively.
Also present were Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Edward Khoo, state Secretary Datuk KY Mustapha and senior officials of Warisan Harta and SHTDA.
Courtesy of New Sabah Times
1 comment:
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For those who are already in oversea and live comfortably. There is no reason for you to come back to Malaysia. Life in Malaysia is getting tougher each day.
Frankly, as a Chinese, I don't see there is any future for our next generation.
Another dangerous mentor that people always use is JFK "Don't ask what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for the country".
Is sound nice, but isn't how German Nazi and Japan militarism start the world war using the same mentor? Under the great "ask what you can do for the country".
Patriotism? Yes, I understand how you feel. Your love for the country was spoilt by the political party. Since non-malays will always be a second-class citizen, so you are probably the same in any other countries, if not better.
You get cannibalised by your own countrymen, intellectually and professionally.
As someone else advised, be a Global citizen.
Patriotism does not need you to be in Malaysia to work your due. Let no one pointed at you and say you are a traitor if your true intention is to generate good deeds for Malaysia wherever you are.
Save your time about coming back to Malaysia. Nothing will change in Malaysia. At least not even in this lifetime. Racism will still be here to stay, and also everything else.
I think there is such an entrenched discrimination against the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia, that it will take probably a whole generation to undo the damaged.
This is happening in whole spectrum of the Malaysian government, civil service, state governments and universities. Just look at percentage of malays in all these government bodies - 98%……….
A whole generation of malays has been brought up to think that it's their inherited right to own Malaysia. The other races are damned.
I think the malays especially those in power, are scared right now that if they will to compete openly with other races, they will surely be the loser. You will see very strong resistance to hire other races even the most qualified.
The malays are never brought up to compete on even ground. This is fault of previous PM and now the present PM has to tread a balance ground to ensure the malays are not cast away as well as to make Malaysia competitive worldwide.
In US I never met a malay immigrant, though there are thousands of Malaysian Chinese and Indian immigrants. Why? Malays in Malaysia have an easier life where they are literately prince of the land.
We have infrastructure good enough to be considered first world or better. Look at the Cyberjaya, Petronas Twin Towers, Putrajaya?
Gleaming high-rise buildings but also in every city, dirty toilets abound, litter clogging up the drains, public telephones damaged, plus unreliable rubbish collection and disposal. We just treat public facilities badly, not caring about others.
Being an urban dweller myself, I am constantly disheartened by the poor public infrastructure and upkeep in our capital city.
Faulty pedestrian traffic signals, illogical positioning of bus stops, poor public cleanliness, poor quality sidewalks (which are paved using slippery tiles), un-integrated and poorly managed public transportation system, the list goes on.
Your children can't even walk safely along the Kuala Lumpur streets, as they might be bags snatched, kidnapped, murdered, raped, or robbed, as they do not know the jungle laws of Malaysia. The police won't help much as they now have a big pile of corruption cases running after them.
You owe nothing to Malaysia, you pay your due, so live on.
So, my last advice. Don't come back unless you are really suffering in oversea.
I'm sorry this sounds very racist but I think we have to be honest in discussion.
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