HIJRA: PIONEER OF "THE PEOPLE FIRST" LEADERSHIP CONCEPT

On December 18, Muslims around the world will commemorate the 1431st anniversary of migration of Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina.

Muhammad's position in Mecca was becoming more and more unsupportable (due to his insistence on one god rather than the many that the Meccans worshipped). He sought to establish himself in Taif without success.

Muhammad met a group of people from the oases of Yathrib (or Medina, as it later came to be known), who realized that Muhammad might help them with their domestic political problems. They absorbed Islam from Muhammad and returned to Medina to preach the new religion. In 622, a larger group of Medinese pledged their support and agreed to grant him protection.

Muhammad urged his Meccan supporters to emigrate to Medina. Being a great leader, he himself became the last to leave the town. A true leader and pioneer of "The People First" leadership concept.

The migration (or Hijra) of the Prophet was later taken as the starting point of Muslim chronology. (According to tradition, the Hijra took place in September 622; however, the Muslim era starts at the beginning of the Arab year in which the Hijra took place, i.e. 16 July 622.)

15 CATTLE FOR EID ADHA IN KUNAK

Kunak, Nov 28 – A total of 15 cattles were slaughtered for sacrifice in conjunction with Eid Adha in Kunak this year. Eid Adha is celebrated commemorating the event when Abraham was instructed by Allah to sacrifice his only son, Ishmael.

 The Collective Sacrification Ceremony was sponsored by Kunak State Assemblyman, The Department of Islamic  Affairs of Sabah (JHEAINS), United Sabah Islamic Association (USIA) and the Organization of Malaysian Graduates (HALUAN) and attended by about 300 people.

Four cattle were distributed to electoral area on the fIrst day of Eid Adha. Eleven more were slaughtered at the coumpound of the local state assemblyman’s residence on the second day of the celebration.

Beef from the proceeding were distributed to those who were present and to kampongs in Kunak District.

ASTEROID - CAUSE FOR BONE BAY EXPLOSION

The cause of the explosion in Bone Bay, South Sulawesi Indonesia on October 8 has been identifeid as that of a 10 meter diameter asteroid. It hit the earth at a velocity of 20.3 km per second or 73,080 km per hour releasing enormous amount of energy that had caused the explosion.

The tremor that followed was also detected by the infrasound alarm system at the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CNTBTO) about 10,000 kilometers from the explosion site.

According to researchers at the University of Western Ontario, Elizabeth Silber and Peter Brown, the strength of the explosion is equivalent to 50 kilotonnes of TNT (trinitrotoluena) bombs, or about two to three times the strength of the atomic bombs used during the Second World War.

The impact caught astronomers around the world by surprise as the presense of the asteriod was not detected until the impact took place.

INACTIVE BANK ACCOUNT REASON FOR LATE DELIVERY WELFARE FUNDS

Kunak, Nov 25—Welfare fund recipients in Kunak are advised to ensure that they have active bank accounts. Kunak People’s Development Leader, Halid Harun said this in refer to a SMS forwarded to him by Kunak state assemblyman, Datuk Nilwan Kabang.

The SMS inquires for reasons why some of those who had been listed before the fasting month in September, as recipients of welfare funds have not received the funds until today.

Halid, who went to the Kunak Welfare Service office for explanation was told that the funds are banked in from the department headquarter to the respective recipients’ bank accounts. Problem arises when some of the listed recipients do not submit their bank account number or with inactive bank accounts.

Usually, a bank account is rendered inactive when there is no transaction on the account over a period of time as determined by the bank. Those affected are advised to contact their bankers to reactivate their accounts.

Thereafter, they should update their particulars at the local Welfare Service office so that prompt action can be taken to ensure delivery of the funds as soon as possible.

HELPING FARMERS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTION

Kunak, Nov 24--The Sabah State Government is continuously putting effort to improve the income of farmers and raise the standard of living of people in the rural areas. Personnel from various government agencies and departments are frequently deployed to kampongs to assess how citizens in the rural areas make their living and evaluate areas where the government can channel resources to help them improve production.

This morning, personnel from the Agriculture Department, three from Kota Kinabalu and one from Kunak made a visit to Kampung Cenderawasih, about 9 kilometers from Kunak Town. They visited an entrepreneur processing cassava crackers and a sugar cane farmer.

Kunak giant cassava crackers are mainly produced in Kampung Cenderawasih. Most of the product are sold locally especially at Simpang Empat Stalls and some are exported to other districts in Sabah, Labuan and Peninsular Malaysia. To date, the Department of Agriculture has built two mini cassava cracker factories for entrepreneurs in Kampong Cenderawasih.

Sugar cane in Kunak is grown mainly for producing fresh sugar cane juice and mostly sold at the two weekly markets in town, Pasar Rabu (Wednesday Market) and Pasar Minggu (Sunday Market).

During their visit, the personnel told the sugar cane farmer that they will make recommendations to the Agriculture Department to assist him increase production, hence improve his monthly income.  The recommended assistance includes a new sugar cane pressing machine, a freezer and resources for opening 2 acres of new sugar cane planting area.

“CONTINUOUS AFFLUENCE AND PROSPERITY” 

                                                    

COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT AT KAMPONG SINAKUT WILL NOT POLLUTE ENVIRONMENT

Kunak, Nov 21 -- The coal-fired power plant to be built at Kampung Sinakut, Felda Sahabat 16 will not pollute the environment.  Project Director of Lahad Datu Energy, Ahmad Faraid Mohamad Yahya said this in a briefing and dialog session with the local community leaders at Dewan Sri Kunak, organized by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and Kunak District Office.

He said, the proposed coal-fired power will be using the highest standard, on par with that used by coal-fired power plants in developed countries. The plant will be able to produce 300 MW and will help solve shortage of electricity in the east coast of Sabah.

Currently almost 40% of East coast power requirement is imported from West Coast Grid System with daily average of 100MW. The daily West-East power transfer is forecasted to deteriorate further to 70% by 2010. Such huge power imbalance will render the power supply extremely unreliable and unsecure. In the event of interruption of East-West link, a not unlikely possible considering its long 270km line, it will be exposed to risk of total blackout due to insufficient generation capacity within the East Coast Grid.

                                                                                               Above: Datuk Nilwan Kabang 

Right   : Ahmad Faraid Mohd Yahya

On concerns over the emission and discharges from the operation of a coal-fired plant, Ahmad said that coal-fired plants in Kapar, Manjung and Tanjung Bin in Peninsular Malaysia had not indicated any adverse effect to date. On the contrary, migratory birds had actually made frequent stop over at the ash pond near Kapar indicating sources of foods are bountiful. In addition, it was also noticed that the mangroves had actually grew rapidly near the Manjung site which incidentally still have a prawn breeding farm nearby.

Periodic sampling of emissions or discharge levels reporting purpose to the Department of Environment Malaysia had also shown that values are well below the limit set by the international bodies such as the World Bank. A clean coal power plant can actually co-exist with nature.

SESB had also assured that detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be diligently and responsibly carried out for the project and all mitigation measures will be sufficiently met and adhered to.

Meanwhile, in his speech, the local state assemblyman, Datuk Nilwan Kabang said that the project shows the devotion of the government to provide amenities to the people.

“With the availability of reliable electricity, socio-economic activities and children’s education will continue to progress”, said Datuk Nilwan. “So will their quality of life.”

                                                                         Panel Members of the Dialog

PRAWN REPLICAS - NOT APPROPRIATE FOR KUNAK

Landing at Tawau airport from Kota Kinabalau last night, I met with a friend who was about to board a plane to Kuala Lumpur. He greeted me with a question, “Why prawns?”

Astonished, I asked back, “What about prawns?”

Smiling, my friend, a local Tawau chap explained, “I wonder, why the hell you people of Kunak put up three big, concrete prawn replicas at the Kunak town roundabout? It gave me the impression that Kunak is a main producer of big prawns. So, I went to your wet market, you know… to buy some big, cheap prawns!”

He began to giggle.

The Prawn Replicas Under Construction in Kunak

“You know what?” the giggles turned to big laughter, and said, almost shouting, “I can’t find a single prawn!”

He continued to tease, hurting my feeling and pride “Since you don’t have prawns to offer, I bet your giant prawns represent the Malay proverbs, Otak Udang (Prawn Brain – meaning “fool”) or Udang Di sebalik Batu (A shrimp behind the rock – meaning “to have hidden agendas”).

Embarrassed, I just managed to put up a wry smile. What can I say? He was right. Kunak fishermen do not catch enough prawns to cater even for local consumption.

Disturbed by my friend’s remarks, I phoned the Kunak Pemimpin Kemajuan Rakyat (People’s Development Leader) this morning to find out whether he has any information on how the decision was made to put up the prawn replicas. He told me that neither he nor the local state assemblyman, Datuk Nilwan Kabang, was consulted on the matter.

Personally, I would prefer any of the following replicas:

1. Replicas depicting activities of the prehistoric hunter-gatherers that took place in Tingkayu in Kunak District sometime in 30,000 BC;
2. Activities of oil palm harvesters as palm oil is the main produce of Kunak; or
3. Zalacca fruit to represent Kunak as the first snake fruit propagator in the state.

REQUEST TO REPLACE STALLS WITH SME COMMERCIAL CENTER

Kota Kinabalu, 17 November 2009. The State Assemblyman of Kunak, Sabah Datuk Nilwan Kabang today requested the Sabah State Government to setup a commercial premise taking the model of the Tawau Central Market or the Alor Star Pekan Rabu building, to replace the make-shift stalls of Gerai Simpang Empat.

Simpang Empat Stall in Kunak

Datuk Nilwan made the proposal in his speech debating the Sabah State 2010 Budget tabled by Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman, the Chief Minister of Sabah who is also the Minister of Finance on Friday, November 13, 2009 at the Sabah State Assembly in Kota Kinabalu

According to Datuk Nilwan the emergence of a new, locally innovated Small and Medium Entrepreneurship (SME) product, giant cassava crackers, which is now more affectionately labelled as Kunak Cassava Crackers, synonym to Kunak District, enhanced the commercial activities at Simpang Empat Stalls.

"Beginning with three stalls constructed by the locals some twenty years earlier from discarded planks for frame and corroded zinc sheets for roofing, the number of stalls steadily increased to the present number of more than twenty”, said Datuk Nilwan.

"The row of stalls, humble as it is, is the commercial site that received most tourists, local and foreign, in Kunak District.

"Therefore, I hereby request for some of the 2010 budget provision for development be channeled to construct a commercial center for SME and agricultural products at the Simpang Empat Stall site, to replace the make-shift stalls”, added Datuk Nilwan.

The Kunak People’s Representative also responded to the Chief Minister’s call to continue producing new and competitive tourism products by suggesting what he termed as, “Kunak Tourism Package which is to be Sabah’s Latest and Innovative Tourist Destination”.

According to Datuk Nilwan, Kunak is an invaluable latent tourism treasure, only that, developers of the tourism industry are too preoccupied with products that they already have, that they tend to overlook this “tourism gold mine”.

The Kunak Tourism Package integrates crucial elements for tourist attractions including prehistoric background, eco-tourism, agro-tourism and marine-tourism.

A BLAZING OBJECT PLUNGED INTO BONE BAY, INDONESIA

The huge "fireball" that plunged into the waters of Bone Bay in Southern Sulawesi, Indonesia at 11.23 local time today remains a mystery. An eye witness claimed that the ablaze object was oblong. It plunged into the sea with 5 or 6 explosions.

What could it be?

Kunak October 01, 2009. Launching of Research Project on the Development of People's Economy (PROPER) in the east coast of Sabah took place this morning at the Kunak Community Hall. It is a joint-venture project between the National University of Malaysia (UKM) and Silam Parliamentary and Kunak State Assembly area.

Among the proposed activities are:

1. To publish a book entitled Glimpses of Silam
2. Research on the history and tourism in Silam Area
3. Research on selected schools in Silam
4. Research on the socio-economy in Silam, particularly in Segama
5. To carry out environmental campaign with Silam community
6. To help enrich information and promotion of the Madai Forest Reserve
7. To propel agricultural and livestock research especially in Kampong Cocos
8. Marine and geological research in the islands around Darvel Bay
9. Research on the potential of marine food products and other local resources particularly in the District of Kunak.

Click here to view the press conference held at the end of the launching ceremony.

RELIEF FOR JULY 7 FIRE VICTIMS

In time of hardship following a disaster, help and assistance shall be much appreciated. To the July 7 fire victims of Kampong Bagiang Kunak, today’s visit by the local State Assemblyman, Nilwan Kabang , distributing rice and other grocery items somehow lessen the grievance of the victims

The contribution was donated by Perbadanan Baitulmal Sabah (Sabah Islamic Relief Board) and brought from Kota Kinabalu by one of the Board’s officer, Ruhaizad Mohd Salleh. Also present were Kunak Assistant District Officer, Hussin Haji Ibrahim, Kunak District RELA Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Rosmi Saad and staff from Kunak Community Development Unit.

Two days earlier on July 9, the Silam Member of Parliament Tuan Haji Salleh Kalbi also visited and distributed groceries to the victims.

21 FAMILIES LOST HOME TO FIRE

KAMPUNG BAGIANG KUNAK MAY 8, 2009.

KAMPUNG BAGIANG KUNAK May 8, 2009. Eleven houses were burnt down to the ground at Kampung Bagiang in Kunak on May 7, 2009 leaving 71 people of 21 families homeless. The local State Assemblyman, Nilwan Kabang who yesterday rushed to the site of incident when the houses were ablaze revisited the charred zone this morning. He was accompanied by the District Officer, Susilo Sumarto and officials facilitating the process of delivering relieve to the victims.

Some of the victims are now staying with relatives while others seek refuge in makeshift relief centers at the rest house and nearby mini halls. A spoke-woman from Kunak District Welfare Department says that cooked food will be distributed to the victims during the first three days from the incident. In addition, each family of the victims shall receive disbursement of RM 3,000 for purchase of basic daily necessities.

In response to a question by the press, the District Officer said that he will arrange aid to the victims in accordance with the regulation of the Natural Disaster Relief directive.

On a question to whether the victims be given houses under the House for the Poorest Scheme (PPRT), YB Nilwan responded, “That form of assistance is given to those who passes the criteria outlined under the scheme”. He added that efforts are being undertaken to provide more decent housing sites for families of the victims to rebuild their houses. Meanwhile he advised them to be patient in face of this hardship and to keep in touch with the local authorities.

This fire incident is the third in the district within the last four months. The two previous cases were both at Kampong Sungai Atas, that is on April 9 where a house was burnt to the ground and on June 21 when three houses caught fire and turned into an inferno.

TEACHING AND LEARNING OF SCIENCE AND MATHS IN BM & MOTHER TONGUE IN 2012

The teaching and learning of science and mathematics in national schools will revert to Malay Language while in Chinese and Tamil national-type schools will be carried out in their respective mother tongue. The matter was announced today, July 8 2009 by the Deputy Prime Minister who is also the Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Putrajaya.

Malaysians particularly parents should accept the decision positively and with open mind. We must realize that the decision was not made lightly, not dictatorially, free from sentiments and from pressures. Experts in this particular field made it after careful and extensive studies.

Personally I fervently hail the announcement for reasons as put forward in a post, “Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran – Guna Bahasa Yang Paling Difahami” (Teaching and Learning – Use Languages That Are Most Understood) in my Malay blog, kunakians, on Jun 25, 2009.

Current first graders will be fourth graders by the time this latest strategy come to effect in 2012. In the meantime, science and mathematics teachers shall be teaching in bi-language.

We, parents ought to look into the schedule for the implementation of the strategy and help prepare our children so that they are eagerly ready to take up the lessons in their own mother tongue when the day comes.

I prepare the timetable below to help me track which classes my children will attend within the next ten years. I hope it somehow can also give some assistance to fellow Malaysian parents out there.

ON TRAIL OF THE HISTORY OF KUNAK - PART 8

The pottery industry at Bukit Tengkorak since 4300 BC had changed the lifestyle of the prehistoric people in the east coast of Sabah as well as in the neighboring South East Asian region. Since then, they were able to cook their food and store water close to their dwellings. Sailors were able to bring ample amount of water in their journey enabling them to make long distance voyages with only occasional break offs at the numerous small islands along the route to refill their jars.

The industry had also brought to light the artistic talents of the early settlers as revealed by the decorative designs on many of the broken pieces of potteries found at the Bukit Tengkorak Site. Whether the decorations have any hidden message or not is still open for discussion. Nevertheless about the same time (3000 BC) in the north, the ancient Egyptians and Sumerians introduced the first writing in the form of hyrogliphic and cuneiform.

In Mesopotamia, people had practiced agriculture for at least 3000 years. Around 4000 BC the Sumerians constructed canals to irrigate fields as well as transporting their agricultural products by boats to the cities. They have improved their roads where their donkeys trod, some pulling carts on wheels. There were at least 12 Sumerian cities and Ur was one of the biggest with a population of about 24,000. With big population came job specifications that brought about the birth of the Sumerian civilization in 3800 BC.

Agriculture was also in practice in South East Asia including in Madai, Kunak. As the population was very small agriculture was not practiced in big scale, not as intense as in Sumer. The small ratio of population to vast arable lands enables each clan to pick their favorite spot for farming without much disturbance or competition. With the absence of struggle for arable lands, the tribes left areas that had been used for planting several times, and considered not fertile, to open new areas. They became shifting cultivators.

It is still not very clear what type of crop the early settlers in the east coast of Sabah had planted. The most logical guess is, it could be plants that are endemic to the region such as yam and taro. Rice could have been introduced from Taiwan. It could also be brought by sailors from Sulawesi where archaeologists had found traces of the crop dating back to 3000 BC.

The practice of shifting cultivation had brought about to further colonization of the vast area in Sabah and Borneo as well as in other parts of South East Asia. As families became bigger, they split and went their separate ways to colonize new areas. As time went by, their dialects, beliefs and customs evolved independently leading to the rise of many different ethnic tribes. (See the blog abdnaddin or MySabah for images)

Rice was planted where the crop could grow well as in an area around the cave Gua Sireh in Sarawak where traces of rice that date back to 2000 BC had been found. Meanwhile, the Madai Caves, the last cave dwellings in Kunak, remained uninhabited apart from occasionally used as temporary shelters from 2000 BC to 500 BC.

Blogger Turns 10: What's your story?

Dear Blogger,

This is a respond to your invitation on blogger.com dated 18 Jun 2009. This is my story and of what Blogger has meant to me.

I tried my fingers on the web sometime in the year 2000. Back then, in my hometown here in Sabah, there were not so many of us who had access to the internet. Data transfer was also very slow. I used the internet mainly to get information related to my job at that time as an Oil Palm Plantation Estate Manager. Websites that I frequented most were those hosted by The Malaysian Palm Oil Registration and Licensing Authority (PORLA) and Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM). The sites had helped me to keep updated with issues pertaining to the oil palm industry particularly on the highly fluctuating market.

I joined Blogger on March 2009 with my blog, Kunakians, which literally means The People of Kunak. Kunak is a small town on the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia. Little did I know then that there is another place in the world known as Kunak (in Kazakhstan) until I recently, thanks to Google earth.

My first post at Kunakians is in Malay or as we, Malaysians, like to call the language Bahasa Malaysia (the Malaysian Language) just to distinguish it from the Indonesian Malay Language. The article is in the form of a report on the activities of 70 elderly village headmen attending an outward-bound course on an isolated island.

On April 27, 2009, I introduced another blog at Blogger, Kunakians2, to post my articles that are written in English. The first post, Luffa Aegyptiaca, still bears the report format with a little sense of research.

Following a power crash on April 29, 2009, my hard disk was badly damaged and I had to replace it with a new one. Indeed, I lost innumerable valuable data, including materials on the subject of the history of my hometown, Kunak that I have accumulated over the past four years.

After getting a new hard disk and installed the operating program, I browsed the web using Google Chrome. I was so happy to see that the articles and images that I had posted on Kunakians and Kunakians2 are still there. It makes me realized that one of the benefit bloggers get from blogging is the safekeeping of articles. Now, I am back to gathering information on the history of Kunak, write whatever I can and immediately post it to Blogger for “safekeeping”.

Wide interactions with people have brought me to frequent open discussions. Some offers ideas while others asked for opinions. I post subjects that in my opinion are worthwhile to share with the public.

A few weeks back, I was at a coffee house with three friends when we overheard the afternoon news from the coffee house TV set mentioning a pandemic called Influenza A(H1N1) which has been confirmed to be affecting Malaysians. One of my friends, the eldest among us asked, “What kind of illness is that? Is it similar to AIDS?”

As a Microbiology graduate, somehow I managed to recall some information about the topic so I said to him, “Influenza shows symptoms similar to that of common cold, fever, coughing, headache and the like. But I’m not very sure of H1N1”.

“If an illness is on TV, it is dangerous”, quipped another friend scratching his quite bulging belly.

Our eldest companion began to look worried. The piece of roti canai (Indian bread) he was about to deposit into his gaping mouth stopped in mid air. “Is there any medication for it?” he asked intently.

“Don’t worry so much. Our friend here will find out and tell us about it”, said our friend with the big belly. Pointing at me, he continued, “Our friend here was a science teacher. He should be able to find out how to avoid getting that illness and to find out whether there is medication for it or not”. He went further to tap my back, too hard, that I can tell because it hurt, and added, “You can, right?”

“I’m not sure, Panglima”, I replied honestly. “Maybe I can find some clues about it from my old college textbooks and lecture notes. Maybe there are some information on the web as well”. (Note: Panglima is a Malay word for warrior. Here, in Kunak we amiably called a friend Panglima as a sign of mutual respect).

As soon as I get home, I began to dig into my old lecture notes and textbooks on virology, browse the web for accounts on the new pandemic then scribbled some notes. Three hours later, I found myself struggling to type an article in the simplest term that I can think of for my friends at that coffee house. I came up with, “Mengenal dan Menangani Influenza A(H1N1)” (Identifying and Coping with Influenza A(H1N1)) which I posted at Kunakians on May 29, 2009. I printed three copies of the article and distributed them to my three coffee-house friends.

I posted a serial “Keajaiban Nombor” (The Fascinating Numbers) following suggestions from some of my ex-students who claimed that the method of calculating I taught them when they were in school had helped to improve their mathematics. They also mentioned that the skill is also very useful in everyday life.

There is so much to tell on Blogger and I albeit of myself being just joining a few months back, what more of those who have been with Blogger from the start.

For me, it is suffice to sum up with two main reasons for me to keep on posting to Blogger:

• It is the best way to share information with people around the world who find the information in my posts worthwhile, while realizing that I tried as much as possible to avoid hurting or discredit anybody.
• It is a safekeeping place for ideas that may never come again.

ON TRAIL OF THE HISTORY OF KUNAK - PART 7

Between 5000 BC to 2000 BC the Madai Caves were totally uninhabited. During that period, the Madai Tribe improved their skill on making huts from woods and other forest material. As a nomadic tribe, they continued to move along the shores to where they could find food. Along the way they met with two other tribes whose ancestors had been separated from theirs, tens of thousands years before. They were the Taiwan Tribe and the Sulawesi Tribe. Together, they proceeded to explore the coasts until they reached Bukit Tengkorak in Semporna.

Around 30,000 BC, in place now known as Indochina, several tribes from the band that included the Tingkayu Tribe, broke away and took a different path (see part 2 of this series). They arrived at a place now called Taiwan. Like the Tingkayu Tribe they continued their tradition as hunter-gatherers for 20,000 years.

As the massive ice blocks melted and flooded the lowlands, Taiwan was cut off from mainland Asia and the Malay Archipelago. Their hunting and gathering grounds shrank while their population increased causing shortage of food. In such a challenging situation, the human mind was forced to work and function more efficiently. The Taiwan Tribe began to explore into two new ventures that were vital to their survival. First, they began to practice agriculture to ensure continuous supply of cereal. Second, they learnt to construct rafts and boats to cross lands across the sea for hunting and gathering. In the course of their adventures, some had crossed back to mainland Asia while others arrived at Luzon Island in the Philippines.

In Part 5 of this series we mentioned that sometime in 16,000 BC, some group from the Tingkayu Tribe had crossed from Kalimantan to Mamuju in Sulawesi. They were the ancestors of the Sulawesi Tribe, the pioneers of sea travel. Their descendants kept on improving their sailing skill and in the construction of sea-going vessels that had made them the most competent sailors in the southern hemisphere and earned them the nickname “Vikings of the South Seas”.

With the sinking of the land bridges, the Sulawesi Tribe became advocates that re-linked tribes that had been separated thousands of years earlier. Sea travel had brought them to Java, Sumatra, Borneo, the Philippines, the Pacific Islands and Australia. With the arrival of the Taiwan Tribe, the long separated people of common ancestry were reunited. Intermingling among them had generated a blended culture, characteristics, temperament and skills of a big family referred by anthropologists as the Austronesian.

At Bukit Tengkorak Semporna, experiences and skills were shared among the tribes particularly, though not the only, in pottery industry. Archaeological findings indicated that those tribes of different groups had interacted with each other around 5,000 BC or perhaps earlier. This is manifested by the similarities in pottery and microliths excavated in Bukit Tengkorak with those from other sites dated back to between 5000 BC to 4000 BC at Madai and Baturong in Kunak, at Balobok in the Sulu Peninsula, at Leang Tuwo Mane’e in the Talaud Islands, as well as at Paso and Ulu Leang in Sulawesi.

ON TRAIL OF THE HISTORY OF KUNAK - PART 6

Thousands of stone tools had been excavated from Madai caves. The tools were mostly made from local river pebble chert, of an industry similar to that of Baturong. Mortars that were used by the prehistoric people of Madai for grinding food, cracking shells or ochre preparations were also found.

The presence of abundant shells in Madai Caves indicates that the inhabitants frequented the shores to gather seafood from the beaches. Hunting of animals continued. The hunted animals include large animals such as seladang and two species of rhinoceros, i.e., javanese rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) and sumatran rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sumatrensis). Today, javanese rhino no longer exists in Sabah.

Around 5,000 BC the Madai Caves were abandoned. There are no detail studies yet to determine the reason for the inhabitants to leave or where they had gone.

However, with their skill in manufacturing many types of stone tools for any particular purpose, the Madai Tribe must had tools for cutting trees and woods. With the warmer climate, they did not need the caves for shelters against the cold nights. Human nature to continue in search of comfort and wellbeing had driven the tribe to move closer to the easy source of food. They had found easy source of food from the beaches that assure them that their family need not go through hunger anymore at times when the hunters returned home empty-handed.

Obviously, there were no reasons for the Madai Tribe to continue living and sharing the damp, dark caves with bats and swiftlets. They were fed up with the thickening guanos on the cave floor. Thus, the tribe left the cave and moved out closer to the beaches.

With their skill in manufacturing stone tools for any particular purpose, they had no problem in making tools specially for cutting trees and woods. They began to build shelters from small timbers, barks, vines, rattans, and palm leaves. Hence, in 5000 BC the foundation of kampongs began in the District of Kunak, Sabah.

COMMUNISTS ARE WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT TO STRIKE

Communism has stamped its mark on the 20th century— a mark of aggression and cruelty, bloodshed and tears. Historians have estimated that its ideology has caused the death of 120 million people since the Russian Revolution of 1917. 

These casualties include not only soldiers killed on battlefields, but citizens murdered by their own governments. The whole world has seen the pitiless slaughter carried out by Communist leaders (including Chin Peng). One hundred million men and women, from the elderly to young people and infants, lost their lives to this cold, hard, savage ideology. Communist regimes have deprived tens of millions of their most basic rights and freedoms, ejecting people from their homes and systematically subjecting them to famines, slavery in labor camps and imprisonment. 

Millions have been the targets of Communist guerilla groups and terrorist organizations, and still others have lived in the fear of becoming targets for their bullets.

So sad for for our beloved country Malaysia, for within the first decade of the 21st century some of its citizens make efforts to bring back to the country the murderous leader of the banned Communist party of Malaya. 

Many people believe that the communist era had ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991. Regrettably, it seems not to be the case. Communism is waiting in ambush! This well of bloodshed, which has cost the lives of 120 million, still exists. Communism has covered the top of the well to conceal its insidious activities and camouflaged its surroundings, setting it as a trap for the unwary. Its outward appearance may have changed, its adherents' names may be different, but it still awaits an opportunity to wreak pain on humanity once again, as it has in the past. 

 

- Main Reference: "Communism in Ambush" by  Harun Yahya

BEST TIME TO HARVEST SWIFTLET'S NEST

One of the reasons for the dwindling of swiftlets nest production in Madai Caves could have been lack of Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP). If this is the case, then the people who held the rights to the Madai Caves birds’ nests have something to learn from former Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Karim Bujang.

          The New Sabah Times (3rd June 2009) quoted Datuk Karim as explaining that harvesting (of the birds’ nests) must be conducted in adherence to GAHP and only at suitable times.

“The best time to harvest is when the nests are empty, and not when there are eggs or young birds in them,” said Karim.

          A few years back Datuk Karim built a three-storey building in Kimanis specially for swiftlets to colonize but he had to wait for at least two years before any swiflets decided to set up home there.  He had been patient and once a wallet or two started building nests, more will flock in to the building.  

Now he has a few hundred “wallet” birds in his building but he is not in a hurry to harvest the nests just yet. He wants them to continue building the colony. He also does not want to disrupt the birds’ environment at this moment as the birds might just leave for good if the peaceful environment is disrupted.

The population of wild swiflets also decreased due to the destruction of their habitat.

ON TRAIL OF THE HISTORY OF KUNAK - PART 5

We pick up from our last story that took place around 16,000 BC when the Tingkayu Lake drained out. The tribe scattered to other parts of South East Asia. Some might even met other tribes, their cousins, who had been there earlier.

 That time the sea level was up to 300 or 400 feet lower than today so that the group that travelled south through Balikpapan would come to the shore where they can clearly see the highland of Mamuju in Sulawesi. 

The water that separated them from the land that looked so rich and green was only a few kilometers distance. Being adventurous and curious, some took up to the sea with rafts and crossed over to settle in Sulawesi. It is thus not surprising that later on the people of Sulawesi emerged as one of the most prominent seafarers. Their ancestors are the pioneers of sea travel. 

Back in the nearby Baturong Caves, the remaining tribe continued with their usual life as in Tingkayu. However, they did not stay for long. Around 10,000 BC the shelter at Baturong was in turn abandoned. It was the end of the Ice Age. The massive blocks of ice that had covered most part of Europe and Northern Asia melted and flowed down, the sea level rose separating Borneo from mainland Asia, Palawan, Sumatra and Java. Borneo found its present shoreline and the coastal environment moved significantly towards the Madai-Baturong region. 

Coastal resources were laid within an easy day’s walk from the Madai Caves. To get closer to the new resources, the people of Baturong moved in to two of the large caves at Madai, Agop Atas and Agop Sarapad. Archaeological studies proved that the two shelters were intensely inhabited during the early Holocene, between 10,000 and 5,000 BC. 

KUNAK DISTRICT LEVEL OF KAAMATAN CELEBRATION

A physio-therapist from Hospital Kunak, Victoria Yam, 24, was crowned as "Miss Unduk Ngadau of Kunak 2009". She was among six finalists who participated in the beauty pageant (click to view video) in conjunction with the Kunak District Level Kaamatan Festival held at Kampong Kadazan on 23rd May 2009. The runner-up position went to Kimberly C. Fay, 20, while second runner-up went to Aflin Joseph, 21.  

   Kunak State Aseemblyman, Nilwan Kabang who officiate the opening ceremony said that he is very happy to see other ethnic communities beside the Kadazan-Dusun ethnic, attending and participating in programs held in conjunction with the celebration. He added that their (the other ethnic communities) participation will enhance mutual respect and cooperation among the multiracial people of Kunak.

   Nilwan called on the people of Kunak to comprehend and put into action the Kaamatan Celebration theme, Together We Mould a Better Future, by being more tolerant, cooperative, and helping one another.

    Meanwhile, in his welcome address the chairman of the organizer, Valentine R. Sebastian appealed to Nilwan and Kunak District Officer, Susilo Sumarto to help in getting Kampong Kadazan gazetted in the near future. According to Valentine, Kampong Kadazan occupied an area of 4.5 acres within the land title of Mostyn Estates. It was allocated by the original land title owner, British Abaca Limited (BAL) Plantations in 1958 to the families of its employees from the Kadazan-Dusun ethnic. At that time BAL Plantations also allocated two other areas namely Kampong Selamat to the Cocos ethnic and Cooperative (now Kampong Sri Bahagia) to Bugis and Chinese ethnics. The land title had since changed hands twice, from BAL Plantations to Golden Hope Plantations and finally under the current owner Sime Darby Plantations Berhad.

Also present were Kunak District Officer, Susilo Sumarto and his two assistants, the People Development Head of Department (PKR), Halid Harun and his staff as well as other dignitaries of Kunak.