Musa Aman Must Explain Why Did He Defy The PM’s Order And Continue With The RM4.5 Million Club House Project At Sipadan Island
Friday, 28-07-2006Press Statement by YB Teresa Kok, Chief Coordinator of Sabah DAP, Member of Parliament of Seputeh and Publicity Secretary On 28th July 2006
Musa Aman Must Explain Why Did He Defy The PM’s Order And Continue With The RM4.5 Million Club House Project At Sipadan Island
Picture taken off The Star Newspaper
I am appalled to read that the Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman has openly defied the order of the Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Badawi to build a club house at Sipadan Island and it has destroyed the beautiful coral reefs under the sea.
Dato’ Seri Musa Aman should explain to the people of Sabah why he carried on with the club house project despite the express orders of the Prime Minister knowing that this project is going to severely degrade the world renowned precious “jewel in the crown”, the Sipadan Island.
Musa Aman should be aware that Sipadan Island is an environmentally sensitive area. Besides, Sipadan Island is also a pride of Sabahans as it attracts thousands of tourists to it because of its natural beauty. Destroying the flora and fauna in the seabed of Sipadan Island also means the destruction of the attraction of the island to foreigners and the inevitable deprevation of future income derived from tourists around the world to Sabah.
Musa Aman should be aware that the use of environment-friendly building materials in the construction is no guarantee – as it will still destroy the ecosystem of this beautiful island no matter what.
It is most ridiculous that after the comment of the Prime Minister is reported in the media today, all the relevant authorities have been passing the buck. None of them want to admit their fault nor take responsibility.
I urge Musa Aman to immediately halt the construction of the project and take immediate measures to restore the original beauty of the Sipadan Island.
Teresa Kok
I remember a newspapaer report that mentioned Chinese tourists were very dissappointed with Mauritius. They say that there were no karaoke, bar, KTV, mall etc for them to enjoy.
The Mauritius government replied that their greatest tourist attraction is the clear beach etc hence they do not want to destroy it.
Kudos to the tiny Mauritius government’s firm stand. They should have a different niche market to cater to.
Comment by lee wee tak_ — Monday, 31-07-2006 @ 10: 17.32
I remember some time ago it was reported that all dive operators had to cease operations from Sipadan due to enviromental damage done. Too many people were visiting the island. The ecosystem of the small island was not able to cope with the changes brought about by human interference. It was a good move to allow the island and its ecosystem to recover.
Time has passed since this restriction was implemented. How fast people forget the damage that has been done in the past. It’s now time to make some $$$ before someone brings up the issue of enviromental damage to the island again.
Sipadan was one of the top rated dive sites in the world. Many divers today has lamented that the island is no longer the same. Even when Sipadan was not “developed”, divers from around the world still visited the island.
They didn’t have a “MRY4.5 million clubhouse” then and I doubt any diver needs one now!!
Comment by phs — Tuesday, 01-08-2006 @ 12: 17.14