Author - Diana Gaban

KOTA KINABALU: The hashtag #SabahOkBah has gone viral on Twitter after Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun personally launched the hashtag earlier this week. Twitter followers have actively participated in this initiative, some even posting more than one picture on their beloved Sabah. A Japanese Twitter follower tweeted: The Minister gave simple instructions to gauge interest as he tweeted, “tweet a photo or life scene in Sabah & win a prize courtesy of STB. Use #SabahOkBah & tag @sabahtourism. Most RT prize too.” Starting this week onwards until 28 December 2014, tweets of Sabah pictures bearing the hashtag #SabahOkBah and tagging @sabahtourism, will stand a chance to win a selection of prizes from merchandise to sponsored trips within Sabah. Winners will be announced via twitter every Monday. Although not openly mentioned, this could be seen as the Ministry’s way of fighting back the negative perception created by Federal Minister of Tourism, Nazri Aziz, who had recently charged that Sabah is not a safe place to visit. Source: sabahkini.com

KUALA LUMPUR: The tourism sector a major income for Sabah and statements saying that the state is unsafe is deemed insensitive. Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan in a series of tweets posted last night said that the tourism industry has benefited the rural people the most and it should be nurtured and promoted. “Sabah is big. What happened in East Coast of Sabah does not necessarily reflect the situation in interior and west coast,” said Abdul Rahman, who is also the Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government. Abdul Rahman was referring to the statement made by Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz claiming that Sabah is unsafe for tourists.

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has extended an invitation to Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz to accompany him to Sabah without the presence of any bodyguards, so he can gauge the security situation in the state for himself. "I would like to invite (Nazri) to accompany me to the state without bodyguards so that he can see (the situation) for himself," said the Home Minister. According to Zahid, Sabah is safer now after a senior police officer was appointed to lead the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), disagreeing with the Tourism and Culture Minister, who said that Sabah remained unsafe to visit. Zahid said the state was safer now compared to six months ago. Speaking to the press at the Umno General Assembly here on Tuesday, Zahid said the recent extended two-week curfew had reinforced security at some parts of the state particularly in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone). "As a Home Minister, I myself had gazetted these curfews at designated times," he said, adding that the curfews had increased the confidence of tourists, particularly those from China. "I was informed that there have been many more tourists especially from China. This shows that they are reassured by Esscom's presence," Zahid said. Nazri had recently said that Sabah was still unsafe to visit as long as cross-border kidnapping cases remained unsolved and the extended curfews only showed that the state was still under threat. He also said he would not visit the state without the company of his bodyguards. Nazri subsequently came under fire from key Sabah tourism players, who accused him of worsening the already-affected industry following the Lahad Datu incursion in 2013, and the ongoing cross-border kidnappings involving tourists and policemen.   Source:  The Star

PETALING JAYA: Beyond Pitas, the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) responsible for social media campaign #PitasRoad, has come up with another campaign - this time to promote tourism in Sabah. Using the #SabahOkBah and #VisitSabah hashtags, the NGO hopes to change the perception that Sabah is a dangerous place to visit following the recent spate of kidnappings in the East Coast of the state. Beyond Pitas co-founder Justin Sunam-Wong said that they were calling on all Malaysians especially Sabahans, to show support to the local tourism industry and the state. “The idea is to get people to take selfies across Malaysia and in Sabah with placards of the hashtags,” he told the Star Online. He added that those wanting to show their support for the campaign are encouraged to post their pictures on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and the official Facebook page for the campaign, Sabah Ok Bah. Tourism is Sabah’s third largest and one of the state’s most important income-generating sectors. Sunam-Wong said that Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’s comments that the government would not guarantee the safety of those visiting Sabah has had a negative impact on the state. “Sabah is generally safe.  Is Sabah free of crime? Of course not. “But no place in the world is 100% safe. There would always be bad apples ready to commit crimes of opportunity,” he said, adding that everyone should be vigilant when visiting new places. Sunam-Wong said that there were many places to visit in the West-Coast of Sabah, far from where the kidnappings happened, such as the Kinabalu National Park, Kuala Penyu and Pulau Tiga. “Sabah is not under siege. Besides, we have the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) guarding our borders now. The government has recently allocated huge sums for Esscom to do its job. We have full confidence in them,” he said. He added that despite the unfortunate kidnappings, some still visited the East Coast of Sabah, which is famous for its diving sites. Sunam-Wong also said that those involved in the campaign hoped to spread positive vibes and help tourism in the state. “Like our favourite Sabahan saying, 'Siapa lagi kalau bukan kita bah' (Who else if not us?),” he said. The campaign has attracted the attention of many, including local celebrity Daphne Iking, who has tweeted her support for the campaign. In an interview, Iking said that despite having lived in Klang Valley for over a decade, Sabah would always remain her home. “If we are able to convince other Malaysians and friends to be part of this campaign, it will go viral and the message will be passed on... Yes. I believe the campaign can work. We need faith and hope,” she said. Iking added that she will be going back to Sabah end of the month and hoped to convince more families and friends to join the campaign. “So #sabahOkBah and #VisitSabah can bring awareness. We need more Sabahan leaders to get onboard now,” she said. Source: The Star