PENAMPANG: The Cross on Tivung Hills, here, which has been a unique landmark for generations may not hold out for long unless something is done to preserve it.Locals fear the heavy cross may collapse anytime as it is now barely 14 metres from the cliff due to reckless hill cutting that had taken place despite the Council being only a stone's throw away.Nevertheless, until such time, the lights on the Cross would shine all night from Christmas Eve onwards as festive cheer to the local community.
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Orang Asal activist Adrian Lasimbang thanked those who donated the RM550 for this purpose while Nampasan Tonibung group provided new solar panels and batteries.Adrian notes plenty of earth can be harvested from the hills without threatening the Cross. Instead, the hill had been allowed to be excavated leaving a vertical fall at the land boundary instead of a gentle slope.
Adrian and his team cannot help reminiscing carrying stones during their youth up the hill in order to concrete the base of the very heavy wooden cross.Now even the foot track to the top has been cut off by the excavators creating a steep and dangerous climb the last 40 meters to the top.
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"Perhaps the landmark here is just a cross and so only a few people care. If it was a 1Malaysia logo, there might even be an allocation for maintenance and no hill cutting allowed," said the team.Adrian said in other countries, such a hill would be preserved and developed into a tourist attraction to give aesthetic value to the housing and development down below instead of allowing wanton hill cutting.
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The original simple wooden Cross was believed to have been erected by a foreign missionary. It was then replaced twice.CAPTION: Lights being fixed onto the Cross.
 4.jpg "A better lit landmark")
