Produce registry of Sabah's historical landmarks: CM

Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Society has been urged to produce a registry of Sabah's historical landmarks, both cultural and natural.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said the registry could become a standard reference on socio-cultural aspects.

"The Sabah Society has conducted numerous programmes to create awareness on Sabah's history, natural wonders and cultural heritage.

You have organised many talks over the years, featuring both local and international experts who have all openly shared their knowledge and experiences with the people of Sabah," he said.

"I commend you for this, and I would like to encourage the Society to reach out to younger people, in particular school and university students.

"Perhaps members of the Society can think of innovative ways to share with young people all the knowledge that you have collected for the last 50 years," he said at the Sabah Society's Golden Jubilee celebration here, Saturday. Musa said the State Government was constantly taking measures to balance development needs with conservation requirements, in addition to protecting Sabah's cultural heritage.

He said Sabah draws its strength and inspiration from the beauty of our natural environment, our diverse cultures and rich heritage.

"The Sabah Government, on its part, is aware of how sensitive our environment is, and we are constantly taking measures to balance development needs with conservation requirements, in addition to protecting our cultural heritage," he said.

Musa, who is also Finance Minister, said the world was currently facing numerous environmental issues that have far-reaching implications for the survival of human kind.

Among them, biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, indiscriminate dumping of toxic waste, wildlife extinction and climate change have caught the attention of the world, policy makers, academia and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

"We have to come together to act and make necessary changes before we end up losing our biodiversity resources," he said.

Highlighting several pertinent issues in creating a good environment, Musa suggested improvements in the way housing projects is designed in order to strengthen community living, which is almost missing in this day and age.

He said population growth and urbanisation were depriving societies the right to live in decent surroundings and it is crucial for us to carefully plan suburbs, preserve historical buildings while infusing elements of beauty into every aspect of growth.

To get a beautiful and clean Sabah, he said, required the effort of the public sector, businesses, NGOs and dedication of citizens who genuinely want to see the State prosper in a sustainable way.

There must also be creativity when it comes to conservation of resources by injecting elements of innovations in the way things were being done, he said.

According to him, NGOs are important partners in the Government's efforts to improve governance, to protect the environment, and generally, to respond to the needs, wishes and priorities of our people.

NGOs could provide an impetus to universities and professional groups to conduct research and development to leverage on our natural resources, culture, heritage and indigenous knowledge, turning them into value added assets, he said.

"One way of doing this is by designing conservation solutions through integrated planning, and another is to encourage all quarters to become better stewards of Sabah's lands and seas.

"By focusing on research, we could collectively build and share a strong knowledge base on natural resources. This will allow us to formulate economic decisions that factor in the value of the environment and culture," he said.

"We must forge the best way to work together in addressing our desire for development in tandem with the need to conserve our environment, history and heritage," he said.

He commended Sabah Society for initiating efforts to trace and document nature trails in Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan, which were now referred to by tourist guides.

"The State Government appreciates your efforts and I am pleased to give an initial grant of RM10,000 for the Society to continue with its nature documentation programme. I am confident that you will put this funding to good use, and I look forward to hearing about the progress of the programme in the near future," he said.

The Chief Minister also hoped the Sabah Society would continue to shine in championing biodiversity issues and in coming up with publications that list Sabah's rich natural and cultural icons.

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GreensSabah says:Hope that the Sabah Society will come up with the registry of Sabah's natural and cultural landmarks so that it can be used as a guide on socio-cultural reference. Keep up the good work on championing the biodiversity issues.