Support for triple- win alternative

Published on: Saturday, February 18, 2017

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By Kan Yaw Chong
THE Sandakan tourism industry is firmly opposed to the RM232 million Sukau Bridge and a kilometre long viaduct and are hoping sanity will prevail for a win-win outcome with the bridge proponents spending the whopping amount during the current downturn on a better alternative.

“Think twice, push the money for other construction because it hasn’t been easy to promote Kinabatangan to the world to its present day fame when everybody in the world knows where Kinabatangan is but suddenly this massive bridge pops out (of the jungle)?” said Amy Chin, Managing Director of S.I. Tours.

“I know the budget is there but make sure the budget is going to things that are highly beneficial to the local people but still keeps nature, Kinabatangan’s wildness, its wildlife and we as tour operators also benefit,” Amy pleaded.

The dispute looks set to shape up as another “Monkey or Bridge” trade-off battle reminiscent of the famous “Monkey of Gold” contention in 2000 whether to mine Maliau Basin or keep it wild and ended in decision for the monkey, figuratively speaking.

Tour operators worry that a “yes” decision to the bridge will erase forever the wildness attraction of Kinabatangan from which recovery will be neigh impossible and urged the Government to close the bridge option and declare an “Avoided Decision” or an outright “No Brainer Decision” when the choice to keep the wilderness tag is so obvious.

By a more rewarding triple win alternative, we mean the winners are the 3Ps:

1. Planet (Kinabatangan – gift to the earth)

2. People (locals, eco tourists)

3. Profit (project proponents, tour operators)

Biggest damage to Sabah:

Loss of reputation

Amy thinks the biggest sacrifice or opportunity cost to Sabah to build the bridge will be loss of reputation and trust abroad and at home.

“I worry that people will not believe destination Sabah anymore if the Government breaks it own gazette rules so freely,” she said.

“It took Sabah decades of wrangling to get the 26,000ha Lower Kinabatangan wildlife Sanctuary gazetted and so quickly we move in to disturb all that?” she noted.

“When it was finally gazetted we used that reputation to sell to the market worldwide and if you go through the websites of all the overseas agencies you can see they highlight the gazetted areas to inspire trust that they are paying to visit a totally protected wildlife area but suddenly the Government breaks its rules to develop something that has been gazetted.

“Normally this is not allowed but my big worry is how do we explain to our clients when they see the Government doing this,” Amy noted.

Very worried

“Actually we operators don’t like to challenge, I always support the Government. We don’t wish to argue or talk too much but please-lah, I am very, very worried because I don’t know how to answer my clients and overseas agents who book them to Sukau,” said Amy.

“I can’t imagine the day when all the contractors start construction, my place will be worst hit because we are facing the bridge almost directly across,” she said.

“Think twice not just for us but also for the wellbeing of the tourism industry which is the second biggest foreign exchange earner for Malaysia,” she said.