SERTAI PROGRAM 'EARTH HOUR' 26 MAC INI

KOTA KINABALU SECARA RASMI SERTAI PROGRAM 'EARTH HOUR' 26 MAC INI

KOTA KINABALU, 17 Mac (Bernama) -- Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu secara rasmi akan menyertai program 'Earth Hour 2011' bagi menunjukkan sokongan dan kebimbangan mereka terhadap pemanasan global.

Menteri Pelancongan, Kebudayaan dan Alam Sekitar Negeri, Datuk Masidi Manjun, berkata Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu (DBKK) bersama Majlis Tindakan Alam Sekitar Sabah (EAC) akan menganjurkan program 'Earth Hour' peringkat bandaraya Kota Kinabalu itu pada 26 Mac ini.

Katanya Hotel Hyat Regency Kinabalu akan menerajui program itu dengan menutup semua lampu yang tidak penting selama sejam mulai 8.30 malam.

"Di Sabah, program 'Earth Hour' diamalkan bagi kali ketiga dan DBKK mengambil bahagian buat julung kali dengan menutup lebih 500 lampu jalan dari pukul 8.30 malam hingga 9.30 malam," katanya pada sidang akhbar di sini pada Khamis.

Katanya cara mudah seperti pengurangan penggunaan bekalan elektrik, memilih peralatan yang menjimatkan tenaga, menggunakan pengangkutan awam dan amalan kitar semula boleh membawa perbezaan kepada alam sekitar.

'Earth Hour' merupakan satu acara tahunan peringkat antarabangsa yang dianjurkan oleh Dana Hidupan Liar Sedunia (WWF) dalam menangani masalah pemanasan global.

Semasa acara ini dijalankan, penduduk dunia disarankan supaya tidak menggunakan peralatan elektrik selama satu jam pada hari Sabtu terakhir bulan Mac pada setiap tahun.

'Earth Hour' telah diilhamkan oleh WWF dan 'The Sydney Morning Herald' pada tahun 2007 untuk meningkatkan kesedaran penduduk dunia tentang pemanasan global yang semakin memuncak.

Buat pertama kalinya, penduduk Sydney yang berjumlah 2.2 juta orang bergelap semasa acara 'Earth Hour' ini diadakan pada 2007. Pada tahun 2008 dan 2009, berlaku pertambahan negara dalam program itu termasuk Malaysia.

ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY (RCI) PANEL WILL BOOST 'FD' PROSPECTS?

Panel will boost 'FD' prospects

By: Tan Sri Herman Luping

THE BN government's policy of 1Malaysia, People's First and Performance Now became a reality in Sabah last week when the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak decided to listen to the call by Sabahans to scrap the proposed coal-fired power plant in the East Coast.

There was jubilation all around and praises were heaped on both the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman for their forward-looking decision on the matter.

Musa himself explained in his speech at the Gerakan Chinese New Year open house held in a major hotel that he was very pleased when the Prime Minister finally made up his mind to scrap the coal fired power supply.

Gas fromBintulu, Sarawak, would be used for the purpose.

Environmentalists and other NGOs have been quick to praise the Chief Minister for his hand in getting the Prime Minister to change his mind concerning the use of coal to generate power in Lahad Datu and the East Coast.

Musa himself said that the fauna, the flora, the wild animals and also the pristine sea of Darvel Bay are all saved from the harmful effects of coal.

A letter writer to the Daily Express's Sunday Forum suggested that the Chairman of Tenaga Nasional, Tan Sri Leo Moggie should resign from his post for putting profits for his company first and endangering the environment in the East Coast of Sabah.

For now, Sabah is one State that is a shining example where the environment is considered more important than the production of power by the use of coal.

Many countries today who use coal to generate power are suffering from the effects of the devastation and pollution to the environment caused by coal generated power.

The countries are China, the United States and Australia.

They are gradually shutting down their coal-fired power plants in favour of more environmental-friendly power plant as a result.

The coal-fired power plants have emitted large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere thus aiding and assisting in the problem of climate change.

Sabahans, therefore, are grateful that their environment is safe.

And as Musa said, Sabahans know how to return the great favour when the time comes.

After all, he said, Sabah is a "fixed deposit" of the BN government and indeed would continue to be one for a long time. (Musa has indeed shown his leadership qualities in the last two general elections of 2004 and 2008.

The decision to listen to the peoples' views and opinion by adopting the policy of Peoples First slogan in respect of the need to preserve the environment would be seen by the people that the BN Government is genuine to place the peoples' interest first.

There is another issue that the people of Sabah are asking the Federal government leaders to consider and that is the call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the presence of the large number of illegal immigrants in Sabah and equally large number of illegal granted Malaysian Identity cards.

 Sabah leaders - from both sides of the political divide - have been very vocal for the call for the government to set up the RCI.

Amongst the first leader to call for the RCI was Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, the Federal Minister of Plantations and also the president of the KadazandusunMurut Party, Upko.

He was followed closely by Sabah Deputy Chief Minister, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin, who is also the President of the PBS as well as the Huguan Siou of the Kadazandusun indigenous community.

(Upko's deputy president, Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing also joined in the call for the setting up of RCI and warned that this issue could harm the BN image at the next election.

Opposition leaders too have also joined in the call for the same.

• The reason why these leaders are calling for the RCI is because the people in Sabah wanted it.
• They wanted the debacle of the Identity Cards and illegal immigrants given citizenship solved immediately.
• These leaders are only listening to the call by their supporters.

And in the case of Bernard, there is an added reason for his focus on the RCI call.

He was made the Chairman of the Select Parliamentary Committee to look into problems of integrity and the IC debacle; but the committee was not getting much support from the civil servants.

And the last straw for him was the continued absence of officials from the National Registration department.

They kept on making excuses for not attending.

And the issue to be discussed in the agenda was about the IC problem in Sabah.

No point in having the committee, he said and so he resigned from it.

Their supporters and indeed the people of Sabah wanted to know the reason/reasons for issuing the identity cards to the illegal immigrants from the Southern Philippines, who are mostly Bajau and Suluk.

Let me make it clear at the outset that a large number of Sabahans are descendants of ancestors from outside the State.

These ancestors are Suluks, Bajaus, Bruneis and Chinese and many more.

Today, the population of Sabah is roughly divided into two types of indigenous communities: the original indigenous - the Kadazandusun Murut and Brunei Malays and the immigrant indigenous, the foreigners.

And of course the Chinese. The original indigenous have been in Sabah for a thousand years; the immigrant indigenous and Chinese came over 200 years ago. They have become part of the country and are identified as "momogun" in the Kadazandusun language.

Until two years ago, the first original indigenous, Kadazadusun Murut were the largest single community in the State. But since the constitutional amendment was made to make all new converts to Islam and who live as the Malays, a choice to call themselves Malays, many have done so.

Besides, the addition of thousands of the former illegals from the Southern Philippines having Malaysian identity cards. The biggest single community in the new demography of Sabah are now the Malays.

This is not the chief concern by the Sabah leaders from both sides of the political divide.

• The concern is the likely shift of loyalty from predominantly British colonial orientation in Malaysia to Filipino orientation.
• The fear is that a future Chief Minister could very well have a strong affiliation with the Philippines, particularly with the Muslim-Filipino south.
• These leaders remind us that we joined in the formation of Malaysia because we shared British colonial experience.

The British wanted to dismantle their colonial administration but they also wanted to continue their influence in the region - through friendship and club association.

This club is known as the Commonwealth whose head is still the Queen of Britain.

The British simply lumped us together with Malaya and became the State number 12 under the new nation name, Malaysia, replacing Malaya.

Indeed, for more than 200 years, our orientation was with Whitehall in London and the common laws of the British were also adopted.

We had a common and historical link with the British.

The Philippines meanwhile was orientated towards, first, Madrid in Spain, and later, the White House in Washington before that country became independent.

The fear then is that we might become part of a nation which is alien to us, alien to our historical beginning.

The fear, too, is that this shift in orientation might bring disability in the governance of our State .

Thus far, after nearly 50 years in Malaysia, the State has grown from strength to strength in political stability, as a democratic country and also in our economic development.

We do not want this to be jeopardised and hence the call for the RCI to the government in Kuala Lumpur.

Let the leaders in KL and in Sabah also look at this request as part of the Peoples' First, Performance Now policy.

TIADA LAGI UDANG GALAH DI SUNGAI KINABATANGAN AKIBAT PENCEMARAN ?

Tiada lagi udang galah

Kilang sawit cemari Sungai Kinabatangan

KINABATANGAN: "Tangkap udang galah pakai bubu sekarang tak sama dengan tangkap udang pada 60-an, 70-an dan 80-an dulu. Sekarang nak cari 10 kilogram (kg) seminggu pun susah. Dulu, senang-senang saja boleh dapat 10 kg seminggu.

"Dulu tak ada pencemaran sungai. Walaupun ada orang tebang kayu (balak), taklah sampai jadi macam sekarang. Sekarang ini, walaupun tak ada orang tebang kayu, kiri kanan tebing Sungai Kinabatangan dipenuhi dengan kilang kelapa sawit.

"Sungai ini semakin hari semakin teruk tercemar. Kalau dulu, pasang saja bubu atau pukat di Tinagang, sudah boleh bawa balik udang dan ikan penuh baldi. Sekarang, pasang dua atau tiga malam pun pukat dan bubu kosong saja."

Itulah nada kekecewaan diluahkan Awang Suratman, 56, mengenai kesukaran menangkap ikan dan udang dengan menggunakan peralatan tradisional di Sungai Kinabatangan.

Penduduk Kampung Menanggal itu adalah antara penduduk pelbagai kampung di sekitar Sukau, dekat sini yang menjadikan penangkapan ikan dan udang sebagai satu daripada sumber rezeki mereka selepas kegiatan berkenaan tidak boleh lagi dijadikan sebagai sumber pendapatan utama sejak lebih 20 tahun lalu.

Awang yang menjadikan penangkapan ikan dan udang sebagai sumber ekonomi utamanya pada tahun 1960-an hingga 1980-an menjelaskan, Sungai Kinabatangan sebelum dicemari sisa kelapa sawit bukan setakat menyediakan sumber bekalan air, malah sumber rezeki.

Pelbagai jenis ikan air tawar seperti baung, lampam, keli, sepat dan sebarau yang membiak dengan mudah di sungai itu adalah sumber pendapatan utama beliau untuk memastikan dapur rumahnya sentiasa berasap bagi membolehkan isteri dan 10 anak mampu mendapatkan sesuap nasi.

"Kalau rasa malas hendak ke Tinagang yang agak jauh, saya buang pukat dan pasang bubu di siring (tepi) tebing di kampung saya atau Kampung Melapi atau Kampung Sukau. Insya-Allah, memang ada saja ikan dan udang terperangkap. Bagaimanapun, sekarang saya tak boleh bergantung kepada hasil tangkapan sungai lagi.

"Kalau saya terus bergantung kepada sungai ini, alamatnya dapur rumah saya tak berasap. Sekarang saya terpaksa mencari kerja lain seperti menyewakan bot kepada pelancong yang gemar menyusuri sungai ini untuk melihat gajah pygmy, buaya dan monyet Belanda," katanya kepada Berita Harian.

Sukau, kira-kira 40 kilometer dari pekan Bukit Garam, Kinabatangan adalah kawasan yang kaya dengan pelbagai sumber alam semula jadi yang menyediakan peluang untuk pelancong melihat haiwan liar seperti gajah pygmy, orang utan, ular sawa dan buaya serta monyet Belanda di kiri kanan tebing sungai.

Ada sekurang-kurangnya lima pusat pelancongan berasaskan keindahan alam semula jadi di sepanjang tebing sungai berkenaan dari Kampung Melapi hingga Kampung Sukau.

Penduduk Kampung Melapi, Kamsah Ahmad, 27, berkata sebagai generasi terkini nelayan air tawar di sungai itu, beliau hanya sekadar mampu mendengar kehebatan Sungai Kinabatangan.

"Saya mewarisi kerja bapa saya. Sekarang memang susah untuk dapat 10 kg udang galah dalam seminggu. Air sungai yang macam teh tarik memang tak menjanjikan tangkapan.

"Kadang-kadang memang ada waktunya hasil tangkapan meningkat tetapi selalunya, saya lebih kerap menarik bubu yang kosong tanpa udang galah," katanya.

Beliau mendakwa, sejak daerah ini dimajukan sebagai antara kawasan perladangan kelapa sawit terbesar di Sabah, pembukaan hutan untuk perladangan itu menyebabkan kebanyakan kawasan tebing Sungai Kinabatangan dicemari akibat hakisan.

Kamsah menjelaskan, udang galah menyediakan harga agak menarik berdasarkan gred, iaitu gred A berharga RM25 satu kg manakala gred B (RM20), gred C (RM15) dan gred D (RM10).

Beliau mendakwa, penduduk kampung, terutama nelayan di sungai berkenaan sudah berputus asa memaklumkan kepada Jabatan Perlindungan Alam Sekitar Sabah dan Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) mengenai pencemaran sungai berkenaan.

"Buang masa saja kalau buat aduan. Memang ada pegawai jabatan itu datang ambil contoh air tetapi setakat itu sajalah. Sungai terus keruh. Pencemaran terus berlaku. Udang galah semakin kurang. Ikan semakin pupus. Kami terus menderita," katanya.

RESPECT DOE'S DECISION TO REJECT COAL PLANT DEIA: MASIDI

Respect DOE's decision to reject coal plant DEIA: Masidi

Kota Kinabalu: Everyone should respect the decision by the Department of Environment (DOE) to reject the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) for the proposed coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun, said the decision by the DOE Director-General was strictly based on facts submitted in the report by the consultants appointed by the proponent of the 300MW plant, which was to be sited at Sinakut in the Dent Peninsular.

"At this point of time, all quarters should respect the decision of the Director-General.

"There is no other ulterior (motive) to me it's basically a professional decision (based on) the public report (on which) everybody have given their piece," he said, to reporters after opening the Sabah Arts and Photography Society Members Photography exhibition here, Thursday.

Under normal procedures, he said, the project proponent has a choice of scrapping the project or appeal for another DEIA.

"As we all might remember, the Prime Minister and Chief Minister themselves have given an assurance that the Government is going to act based on professional reasoning I assure you this (the decision) is one of that," Masidi said.

"I've met those who have given their opinions and I told them in no uncertain terms that the State Government is bound to strictly comply with the Terms of Reference (TOR) provided and prepared for this project."

To a question on whether another DEIA was in the offing, he said: "(You) have to ask that question to the proponent of the project and of course (if any), I hope it would be dictated by conscience and public opinion."

To another question, he said there was always another alternative towards power generation but that the scale and cost were the main considerations.

"The price of fuel keeps going up these days (so) the Government picked this (coal) because it is the cheapest to generate electricity but it comes with its own risks," Masidi said.

"We can't really say this is the best because the best always has something attached to it (but) we cannot depend on fuel for power generation forever."

Sabah Environment Department Director, Yabi Yangkat, said a key point given by the DOE for rejecting the DEIA, prepared by a team of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) consultants, was that many important environmental parameters were not addressed in the report.

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'Good reason to call off the project'

"We thank the DOE for carrying out their duty without fear or favour.

Now that a Federal agency has made such a decision, we hope the State Government too will take a stand.

"We should all collectively chart a new path towards clean energy that helps create jobs. Going into alternatives to coal, including renewable energy, is a solution for Sabah, as our studies have shown.

"Let us not waste anymore time and energy. We are confident alternatives can be put in place effectively in the short term,”

Wong Tack, Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) President

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Sabah Subscribes To 1Malaysia Concept Over Proposed Coal Plant - Activitst

The Sabah Government, through the DOE, had acted professionally.

Thanked Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for their assurance that the government would not bulldoze through the proposed coal-fired power plant project, without taking into consideration the DEIA report and public opinion.

"This is what we want. From the feedback, the majority of the people, including NGOs in the state, are not in favour of the proposal...obviously, the Sabah Government took serious note of this,"

Sabah consumer and social activist Datuk Patrick Sindu

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SAPP Proposes Natural Gas Power Plant In Sabah

A natural gas power plant would provide cleaner energy and would be cheaper and faster to build than a coal-fired plant.

That a gas pipeline from Kimanis to Sandakan or Tawau might cost RM1.2 billion, which would be much less than the RM1.7 billion to build a coal-fired power plant.

A natural gas power plant was a sensible solution after the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) of the proposed coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu was rejected.

SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee

KERAJAAN PUSAT AKAN AMBIL KIRA PANDANGAN MENGENAI CADANGAN LOJI JANAKUASA ARANG BATU DAN DASAR KABOTAJ DI SABAH - NAJIB

Kerajaan Ambil Kira Pandangan Umum Cadangan Loji Janakuasa Arang Batu Lahad Datu

KOTA KINABALU, 18 Julai (Bernama) -- Kerajaan mengambil kira pandangan dan kebimbangan penduduk termasuk badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) berhubung cadangan pembinaan loji janakuasa arang batu di Lahad Datu.

Pembinaan loji itu bertujuan untuk mengatasi masalah bekalan elektrik di Sabah.

"Kita akan ambil kira pandangan mereka tetapi apa juga yang kita lakukan, ia akan berdasarkan laporan penilaian kesan alam sekitar (EIA), dan kita akan pastikan kita mematuhi laporan EIA," kata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak kepada pemberita selepas menghadiri jamuan tengah hari dengan pemimpin masyarakat Cina Sabah, di sini pada Ahad.

Beliau berkata pada ketika ini, keutamaan kerajaan ialah membekalkan tenaga di Sabah kerana kejadian gangguan bekalan elektrik masih kerap berlaku.

"Bagi Sabah untuk menjadi negeri maju, Sabah perlu mempunyai bekalan elektrik berterusan tanpa gangguan pada harga yang berpatutan. Pastinya ada alternatif lain tetapi kos bagi alternatif itu lebih tinggi berbanding sistem konvensional.

"Rakyat Sabah tidak bersedia untuk membayar pada kadar lebih tinggi..., bagaimana kita nak bangunkan tenaga alternatif? Dan, untuk jangka masa pendek, tidak terdapat banyak alternatif," katanya.

Najib berkata demikian semasa ditanya mengenai pembangunan teknologi hijau di negara ini, termasuk cadangan pembinaan loji janakuasa arang batu di Lahad Datu di pantai timur Sabah.

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Kerajaan Persekutuan Sedia Kaji Semula Dasar Kabotaj Di Sabah

KOTA KINABALU, 18 Julai (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata kerajaan persekutuan bersedia mengkaji semula masalah yang dihadapi oleh masyarakat perniagaan di Sabah khasnya Dasar Kabotaj.

Perdana Menteri berkata kerajaan persekutuan akan mengkaji dasar ini bagi membolehkan para peniaga mengeksport terus barangan mereka dari Sabah ke luar negara.

"Kita akan lihat sama ada kita boleh kaji semula ini (Dasar Kabotaj) agar anda mengeksport terus dari Sabah ke luar negara...ia lebih masuk akal, tetapi biarlah saya lihat dulu sama ada, ada implikasi lain," katanya dalam ucapan pada majlis makan tengah hari dengan pemimpin masyarakat Cina Sabah di sini pada Ahad.

Sebelum ini, ada beberapa pihak di Sabah, termasuk Persekutuan Pekilang Sabah menyeru kerajaan untuk meliberalisasikan dasar tersebut atau memansuhkannya kerana syarikat perkapalan tempatan tidak mendapat manfaat daripada polisi tersebut.

Di bawah Dasar Kabotaj yang dilaksanakan pada 1 Jan, 1980, perdagangan dalam domestik antara dua pelabuhan tempatan hanya boleh menggunakan perkhidmatan syarikat perkapalan tempatan untuk mengurangkan harga barangan pengguna.

Jumaat lepas, Timbalan Menteri Pengangkutan Abdul Rahim Bakri berkata kenaikan harga barangan pengguna disebabkan beberapa faktor termasuk mengaut keuntungan oleh sesetengah pihak dan masalah perkhidmatan pemunggahan dan memuatkan yang tidak cekap di pelabuhan-pelabuhan.

Bayaran insurans marin yang terlalu tinggi, kos pengangkutan darat dan faktor ekonomi merupakan sebab lain, kata Abdul Rahim.

"SATU SEN PUN SAYA TIDAK TERIMA,

"Memang ada pihak tertentu masuk ke kampung dan cuba menghasut rakyat menentang projek ini.

"Ada maklumat mengatakan mereka diupah pihak yang tidak senang dengan projek ini. Mereka menuduh saya dan pemimpin akar umbi masyarakat di sini menerima ‘habuan besar’ dalam projek ini.

"Satu sen pun saya tidak terima, bagaimanapun, saya dan barisan pemimpin masyarakat peringkat akar umbi tidak akan mudah mengalah. Kami akan menentang mereka habis-habisan kerana projek ini bukan untuk kami, sebaliknya untuk seluruh Pantai Timur Sabah,"

Adun Tungku, Datuk Mohd Suhaili Said