13Sep

Shoot for the stars in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Things are looking up for the Land Below the Wind as it has been named as one of the must-go places for stargazers or astronomers. For instance, the travel site TripZilla in a posting six months ago listed Sabah as among the nine best places for stargazing in Asia. Another site, #HHWT, which stands for Have Halal Will Travel, put up a posting last year on “Asia’s Top 10 Magical Stargazing Spots Will Leave You Starstruck”, and Sabah was on the list. Sabah Tourism, Art and Culture Ministry director Ag Ahmad Abu Zaki said the skies of Sabah were still clear enough and free from light pollution, which was why it had an advantage.
“Tourism players, especially those in the interior and outskirts, need to grab this chance to promote stargazing to the world,” he said.
Ahmad said the acknowledgement of Sabah as one of the best places for stargazing in Asia had also boosted the state’s potential in astronomy. As part of the ministry’s efforts to introduce astronomy to industry players in Sabah, it recently organised a course on astronomy at Usukan Cove in Kota Belud. The three-day course organised together with other related agencies was to introduce participants to the wonders in the sky. “We teach them to understand and identify stars and other objects in the sky before capturing and editing the images,” Ahmad said. He said the 30 participants comprising photographers and media personnel, among others, were eager to learn about the Milky Way. Participants woke up as early as 3am and stayed up late just to get the best images. Among some of the objects seen were constellations such as Orion, Scorpius, Taurus, Canis Major, Pleiades and light pillars. Tourism Malaysia director for Sabah, Jamilah Abdul Halim, said the agency always supported unique and creative tourism products. “There are actually quite a huge number of astronomy enthusiasts. And they are also people who love taking pictures,” Jamilah said. Source: The Star Online
By Inside KePKAS, , Comments Off
Read more...
12Sep

DCM urges film makers to promote Sabah through movie production

KOTA KINABALU: The surge of interest in Sabah displayed by movie makers augurs well for tourism promotion efforts, said Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew. Speaking to reporters at the Sabah screening of RISE Inikalilah on Sunday, she said : “As a minister in charge of tourism, I support and encourage more Malaysian film makers to come to Sabah for more home-grown production of movies such as the remarkable RISE Inikalilah. “We have talked about ecotourism, adventure tourism, medical tourism, historical tourism, sports tourism, golf tourism, war tourism and what have you, and now we have a relatively new dimension – promoting Sabah through movie making, yet another mode of wooing more tourists to the State.” Saying she has met with producers from Peninsular Malaysia, China and Hong Kong of late, Liew, who is also Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, hoped the media would highlight the work of the film makers. The 100-minute film produced by WebTVAsia was screened for the minister, ministry officials, producer Fred Chong’s teachers who have made him who he is today, his classmates and other invited guests. Also present was Luyang assemblyman Ginger Phoong. Liew urged all Malaysians in Sabah not to miss the chance to watch this movie when it is screened on Malaysia Day (September 16). She said it is a reminder of what Malaysians and Sabahans in particular went through under the previous government, adding it was a very difficult time, especially for PKR in Sabah, but thank God, they succeeded. On a personal note, the minister said the movie brought back memories of her 20-year political struggle dating back to 1999 when PKR spread its wings to Sabah and she contested the now defunct Gaya parliamentary seat on the party’s ticket in 2002. Liew described the struggle as a long and tortuous one for justice and true democracy to prevail, and above all, for good governance for the people. “RISE Inikalilah is a historical movie because it catches the events prior to May 9 this year. It marks the birth of a new nation, a new Malaysia after 61 years of Barisan Nasional (BN) rule. “It shows the euphoria on the night of May 9 following the unprecedented electoral victory when the people spoke out loud and clear for the ultimate change of government,” she said. Watching the unfolding of events in the movie, Liew became emotional “as if I re-lived those days when we were the Opposition and subjected to political persecution.” “I couldn’t help it when I viewed what happened, especially what the previous regime did to us. I was directly involved in the pioneering years and it was a long hard journey for us to finally overthrow the BN government,” she added. Earlier, Chong said the “real heroes” are the people who had fought for so many years for the country and Sabah in particular. “This special film is a tribute to the real heroes here,” he said. As a Sabahan, he is proud to bring back a very patriotic film about our country and show it to Sabahans. “What happened is that we just had the biggest historical event ever in Malaysia which was the 14th General Election (GE14). As a film maker, I wanted to document this momentous moment through a film. “But I do not want to make it too political at the same time, so I created multiple Malaysian characters to show how ordinary Malaysians from different walks of life actually came together and created history for the country. “So that is what this film is about,” he said. According to Chong, after the film was shot, there were comments that this Malaysian film somehow forgot about East Malaysia (as usual). “For this reason, I created a very important character in the film, especially for Sabah. At the same time, I got my friend Katak Chua (president of the Kota Kinabalu Film and Video Association (KKFVA) to shoot additional footage in Kota Kinabalu.” He also brought in Mark, one of the members of the cast, saying the story will not be complete with a foreign character “to see what Malaysia is all about during this historical moment (GE14).”   Source: Borneo Post Online
By Inside KePKAS, , Comments Off
Read more...
12Sep

Lantern parade back at Gaya Street on Sept 29

KOTA KINABALU: The long anticipated lantern parade will be back at Gaya Street on September 29. The event is jointly organized by the United Sabah Chinese Communities Association of Kota Kinabalu (USCCAKK), Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK), Kota Kinabalu MP and Likas assemblyman office. USCCAKK president Datuk Susan Wong, together with Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai, made personal inspection of the venue at Gaya Street to ensure that the mooncake carnival and lantern parade would be successful. She said the association had decided to adorn Gaya Street with lanterns before the Malaysia Day celebration on September 16 to spread the spirit of the Mid-Autumn Festival. “The event is not only a showcase of Chinese culture, but also an attraction to lure foreign tourists, especially Chinese visitors, to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival abroad in Sabah,” she said. While on the subject, Wong also said that the cash prizes for the lantern competition have been increased to encourage more schools, associations and members of the public to take part in the lantern parade. Champion of the USCCAK category will receive RM1,000 cash prize, followed by RM800 and RM500 for the second and third place winners respectively. There are also three consolation prizes of RM100 each. The association is also offering three RM200 cash prizes to lantern parade participants who don Chinese attire. The organizers have created an award for the largest team to encourage more participation from USCCAKK member associations as well. Participants must ensure that their lanterns are movable either by carrying their lanterns, placing the lantern on a dolly or even atop a 1.5-tonne lorry. There is no size limit on the lanterns. Meanwhile, the cash prizes for the Open category remain unchanged. Nonetheless, the organizer has added three new awards, namely, the best dressed, best design and largest parade team for this category. Wong urged other Chinese associations in Kota Kinabalu to take part in the lantern parade. “The event is a great platform to promote our Chinese culture and the multiracial spirit of Sabah,” she added.   Source: Borneo Post Online
By Inside KePKAS, , Comments Off
Read more...
12Sep

3.9 million hectares of Sabah land earmarked for forest reserve

SANDAKAN: Over 50 per cent or 3.9 million hectares of land in Sabah have been earmarked for forest reserves and wildlife conservation areas, said Sabah Forestry Department chief conservator, Mashor Mohd Jaini. He said the success of the tropical rainforest protection and conservation programme in the state was due to the forest, wildlife conservation and parks enactments. “Through sustainable forest management policies, sufficient land area could be reserved and managed for conservation,” he said at the closing of the Environmental Education Course for Teachers here today. According to Mashor, the state government had also decided that 30 per cent of the tropical rainforest area in the state would be gazetted as fully protected area by 2025. He said in the last two years, totally protected areas covered almost 1.9 million hectares or 25 per cent of the total area of Sabah which was equivalent to 18 times the size of the state of Penang. Mashor added that the Deramakot Forest Reserve was a fine example of a natural reserve which had been certified well managed by an international certification body, the Forest Sterwardship Council Standard' in 1997. In addition, he said, the country's largest Ramsar site covering an area of 78,000 hectares is situated in Kinabatangan. However, he said there were also challenges facing sustainable forest management, among them low returns, high cost of forest conservation, illegal occupation and farming on forest reserve land. Thirty-one teachers from 28 secondary schools in the state attended the six-day course initiated by the Rainforest Discovery Centre in Sepilok. — BERNAMA   Source: New Straits Times
By Inside KePKAS, , Comments Off
Read more...
12Sep

A home for oath stone at last

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s historical oath stone will be open to the public on Malaysia Day at its new home at the Muzium Warisan Keningau. The stone, which had been relocated several times over the years to make way for development, is now permanently placed at the heritage museum. Opening it to visitors on Sept 16 is significant for the symbol that bears the bill of guarantees assuring Sabahans of their rights upon the formation of Malaysia. On Sunday, the relocation was held amid a full customary ritual that started with shamans (or bobohizans in the native Kadazandusun term) conducting prayers and chants along with the sacrificing of livestock including male buffaloes and white chickens.
After that, the lead shaman Muri Kulim and some 1,000 of his escorts marched from where the oath stone was at the Keningau District Secretariat Office all the way to the mu­seum.
The ceremony was officiated by Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister’s political secretary Raymond Ahuar. Keningau district officer Yusop Osman said RM1.025mil was spent on the effort to restore and relocate the stone. “The relocation was done according to native Kadazandusun and Murut customary beliefs and rituals, just like the way it was done when the stone was first put up on Aug 31, 1964,” he said. The then federal labour minister Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam offi­ciated the placing of the oath stone, witnessed, among others, by the Sabah chief minister at that time Tun Fuad Stephens and Dusun community leader Datuk G.S. Sundang, who was formerly Sabah deputy chief minister. There had been some controversies surrounding the oath stone previously, including natives finding “copies” of the stone in several parts of Keningau, 71km south of here. Three years ago, there was another controversy when it was found that the words “Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin” (Malaysian government guarantees) were missing from the plaque. It remains a mystery as to where and when the original was changed but the then Bingkor assemblyman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan had given the government a plaque, which he claimed to be the original. It has been handed over to the museum for safekeeping. The Keningau Oath Stone is important to not only Sabahans but also Malaysia as it serves to assure the Sabahans that their rights to religious freedom, land, culture and customs, among others, are guaranteed even after Sabah, together with Sarawak and Singapore, joined Malaya to form Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. Source: The Star Online
By Inside KePKAS, , Comments Off
Read more...