LONDON: Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK, Dato’ Zakri Jaafar, supports Sabah’s rebranding of “Feel Sabah, North Borneo” at the ITB Berlin 2023 by State Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Christina Liew, recently.
He said it was catchy and may bring back nostalgic memories to people (in the UK) about North Borneo (now Sabah).
“Maybe they know North Borneo more than they know Sabah,” he said, adding there was also a need to accentuate the fact that Sabah is part of Malaysia and would always be.
“With this, there will be no other question about where Sabah belongs,” Zakri said. He said his office has always been working with Tourism Malaysia to promote the whole of Malaysia, in particular the Borneo part (Sabah and Sarawak).
“This is because these two states are the areas that can offer the things tourists from here (UK). Eco-tourism is a new sector that people from this part of the world are really looking forward to,” he said.
Our report on March 8
Eco-tourism in Borneo can even become a preferred choice not only for individual travellers but also families, according to Zakri.
“That’s how we (High Commission) together with Tourism Malaysia are promoting Borneo,” he said. Also present were Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Datuk Mohd Yusrie Abdullah and members of the Sabah delegation.
Meanwhile, ecologist Quentin Phillipps, who attended the dinner with wife Honor, presented two of his books to the Minister – The Third Edition of Phillipps’ Field Guide To The Birds of Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei & Kalimantan) and the Second Edition of Phillipps Field Guide To The Mammals of Borneo And Their Ecology.
“Each book is at least two years’ work, with illustrations by my sister Karen,” said the 72-year-old author who has been interested in the wildlife and natural history of Sabah from young. The books list out all 673 Borneo bird species, including 61 Borneo endemics, Borneo’s top 90 birding sites and 16 orangutan watching sites in Borneo.
On why birds, Quentin said there is always something interesting going on to understand how they live and survive in a very difficult environment. “Everything is out to kill the birds. They eat them, some birds are eager to eat other birds. And all the animals, cats and whatever, are trying to catch the birds.”
In response to a question from Liew who wanted to know more about his fig planting projects in Sabah, Phillipps, who resides at Ealing, West London, said figs are the most important trees in the forests for wildlife.
“So if you want to attract wildlife for tourism or whatever purpose, you need to plant lots of fig trees. When these trees are fruiting, they will attract all the wildlife in the forests,” he shared. “So I am helping several projects now in Sabah to plant fig trees.”
The Minister was glad to learn that from July, Phillipps will spend about a month visiting Tawau Hills Park, Kalabakan and Tabin Wildlife Reserve on his fig planting mission.
Born in Sandakan, the ecologist has been living between Sabah and the UK (after his university days in England) until the Covid-19 pandemic. “I couldn’t travel for three years. I am going back to Sabah this year,” enthused Phillipps, who has spent at least 30 years in Borneo.
