HARRIS SALLEH IS NO SUPERMAN

Harris' odyssey to make Borneo an economic hub

FORMER Sabah chief minister Datuk Harris Mohd Salleh will turn 80 this year but he hardly acts his age. There is always something brewing in his mind.

Regarded by many as a visionary leader, he was and continues to be a man of ideas. He can come up with proposals that make both experts and sceptics sit up and take notice.

His most recent idea involved turning Borneo -- shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei -- into a respectable economic hub in Asia.

And what he wants, he will try to achieve. He travelled nearly 2,500km over 11 days -- from Jan 18 to 29 -- around Kalimantan with a group of businessmen, journalists and officers from the Indonesian consulate on what he described as a fact finding mission.

The group travelled by sea, land and air; spent nights at eight locations and passed by countless districts and villages in the four provinces of Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur, Selatan, Tengah and Barat).

The mission was to build connections between Sabah and Kalimantan; to find out what Kalimantan has to offer as well as eradicate the perception that Indonesia is only good for supplying labour to Malaysia.

At the same time, Harris also connected with the business fraternity and sought information on travel policies and procedures.

Harris said Kalimantan has much to offer given its vast size of about 550,000 sq km, over twice the combined size of Sabah and Sarawak. "It has fertile land good for oil palm plantations, oil and gas, and even coal and other minerals such as gold and uranium.

"We in Borneo, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei should find ways to work with the people of Kalimantan because according to our history, before all these invisible borders were established, we had economic and cultural links.

"During the course of this trip, we found that many people are related to each other, that we have similar traditions, language, and also eat the same kind of food. This is where our strength lies and I believe if we harness this, Borneo can someday be an economic force.

"To do this, however, we need the governments to help in adjusting travel policies, among other things."

Harris has compiled a full report of the trip, and has presented it to the Indonesian consulate.

He has also handed the report over to the government. It will be made available to those who are keen to invest in Kalimantan.

Businessman and long time friend Hakim Khan, who was part of the mission, said Harris never stops thinking.

"Good or bad, he would always have ideas on how something could be expanded economically, or improvised to benefit the people.

"He even thinks long and hard about what the cattle in his farm should eat," said Hakim, referring to a unique cattle feeding method devised by Harris at his integrated plantation in Balung, Tawau.

"If he believes it will be good for the people, he will fight for it by talking about it or get others, especially decision makers, to think about his ideas.

"As for his energy, Harris can put others much younger than him to shame.

" I don't know where he gets it from but he is always up and about, always ready to go, always eager to learn new things, make new friends and visit new places. He also eats heartily.

"You tend to envy how he can eat deep fried ayam kampung (free range chicken) at his age," said Hakim.

Unlike most senior leaders, Harris spent more time talking about what is in store for the future than reminiscing about his illustrious past.

During the mission, Harris did not dwell on his past or speak about his time as the chief minister.

However, others did. Hermanus Sos, elected representative of Lumbis, Kalimantan Timur, said he heard a lot about Harris during his younger days when he was growing up on the Indonesian side of Kalimantan near the border district of Nabawan in Sabah.

"We know how he helped the Muruts and the Lundayeh people in the interior of Sabah.

"He is much respected here on our side because the people he helped were our relatives," said Hermanus, a Murut who travelled two days by boat to attend the meeting with Harris.

Kalimantan Timur governor Awang Faroek Ishak described the visit by the delegation as a breath of fresh air.

"From what I have heard about him, his visions, his ideas, his leadership qualities, I am sure he will somehow find ways to strengthen our existing friendship and work on ways that could benefit the whole of Borneo."

But Harris is always quick to remind those around him that he is no superman. In Palangkaraya, Kalimantan Tengah, Harris had to walk up three flights of stairs and was praised by the deputy governor Achmad Diran for being a vibrant and energetic man.

But Harris quipped: "I will tell you a secret. I was actually very tired and gasping for air but since I was being showered with praises on how good I looked despite my age, I had to keep going so as to maintain my 'status'."