Musa’s financial management, forest policies best in country — Herman Luping

KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman’s financial management of the Sabah government’s coffers and his forest management policies is rated the best in the nation, said state veteran leader Tan Sri Herman Luping.

He said Musa, who has helmed the state government since the past nine  years, had not only ensured the state government prospered, but had also given  more political stability, prosperity and infrastructural development in the state.

“Sabah under him (Musa) is definitely in rapid progress modem,” Luping told Bernama here.
Luping, a former Deputy Chief Minister during the Usno era, said Musa’s comprehensive strategy, which took into account resources from the state and federal agencies, kick-started his vision for a better and more progressive  Sabah.

“When  Musa took  office, he introduced a blueprint on a strategic state development agenda called ‘Halatuju’, which focused on an aggressive effort to fully realise the state’s tourism, agriculture and manufacturing potentials.

“It is this ‘Halatuju’ that  propelled the three sectors by leaps and bounds  over  the  years. These three economic activities were the key in Musa’s quest to hasten the state’s economic growth and in the process, improved the well-being of the people,” he added. — Bernama

Luping said the significant growth and contributions of the three sectors to the state’s economy were obvious now for everyone to see, with tourism emerging as a rising industry with increasing tourist arrivals and construction of more hotels.

Sabah recorded an all time high of 2.84 million tourists last year, generating a revenue of RM4.98 billion.
There are 450 hotels of various  grades throughout Sabah, offering some 18,000 rooms, and the average occupancy rate is 70 per cent.

Another 6,000 rooms are expected to be made available in time for the  expected arrival of 3.6 million visitors by 2015, said Luping.

In the agricultural sector, he said the emphasis was to enhance food production by increasing domestic production and reducing the state’s dependence on imported food products.

According to Luping, Sabah has about 2.5 million hectares of land suitable for agricultural development and to date, approximately 1.5 million hectares  has been developed.

The agricultural sector contributed RM7.24 billion in revenue in 2010, he said.

Luping said the manufacturing sector was moving at a fast pace with 53 projects approved last year, involving a total capital investments of RM1.5  billion.

“For Sabah and Sabahans, the rapid development took place since  Musa  took over the state’s leadership.

“These developments are there to see. And because of the political stability in the state, foreign investors have been flocking here to invest and the latest statistics is more than RM10 billion,” he said.
This, he said, indicated the foreign investors’ confidence in the state leadership.

Luping expressed gratitude to both the state and federal governments for giving the people the good life and prosperity. — Bernama

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/08/01/musas-financial-management-forest-policies-best-in-country-luping/#ixzz25O6fUyjs

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Will and Kate honeymoon in South Pacific

Most couples can’t hope to manage a second honeymoon until retirement – if at all.
For the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, however, it’s come around rather more quickly.
Only 18 months after their honeymoon on the exclusive North Island resort in the Seychelles, the couple are again heading to a deserted paradise island – this time in the South Pacific.

Kate and William will spend a night on privately owned Tavanipupu island, famed for its crystal waters and luxury hand-thatched bungalows, as part of their first official tour on behalf of the Queen.
Before that the couple will travel to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Borneo and the Solomon Islands, ending their nine-day trip on the South Pacific realm of Tuvalu, the fourth smallest country in the world.
They’ll get up close and personal with wild orangutans, have an orchid named after each of them and face the challenge of being carried from a plane in a garlanded canoe.
It will be the biggest test yet of Kate’s much-praised fashion sense, as she will need up to 30 different outfits, including one for a trek to the jungle.
The Queen is believed to be lending her several pieces of jewellery including, possibly, one of her favourite tiaras.
Her famous locks will be also well cared for – Prince Charles is privately footing the bill for a freelance hairdresser to travel with them.
And the couple have hired a private jet – paid for by the taxpayer –  for part of their trip.
Sources said it would be ‘absolutely impossible’ to travel to remote Tuvalu and the Solomon Island otherwise. The Queen is still sovereign of both countries.
The tour has been organised to mark the Diamond Jubilee and many of the stops were chosen personally by the Queen.
The couple will also visit the Commonwealth nations of Singapore and Malaysia on behalf of the British government to strengthen diplomatic and trade links.

Perfect beaches: The royal couple will spend a night on the Tavanipupu Private Island Resort

Fit for royalty: The 'majestic' bed in one of the luxury bungalows where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to stay

It's a hard life: William and Kate will sail by traditional war canoe to the Tavanipupu Private Island Resort, which is known as one of the South Pacific's 'best kept secrets'

Idyllic: The view from one of the verandas on privately owned Tavanipupu Island

Luxurious: One of the hand-thatched bungalows on the resort where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to stay

In Singapore, where they land on September 11, William and Kate will be afforded the honour of having an orchid named after each of them in the Botanic Gardens.
They will then head to Malaysia, staying in the capital Kuala Lumpur, where the duchess will give her first foreign speech abroad, at a hospice.

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The couple will also attend a glitzy dinner hosted by the country’s king in his palace.
Then they will fly on to Sabah, the Malaysian part of Borneo, and travel deep into the jungle at Danum Valley, where they hope to climb into the rainforest canopy and see wildlife including the endangered orangutan.
On September 16 they will make their way to Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands.
The couple have been told to expect a colourful welcome – complete with chanting warriors –  followed by a drive to the capital in an open-topped vehicle decked in fresh flowers.

Paradise: The Royal couple will take in Tuvalu, a Polynesian island located midway between Hawaii and Australia which is one of the most remote inhabited places on the globe

The Royal treatment: The couple will be carried from a plane in a garlanded canoe just like the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were during their visit to Tuvalu in 1982

Animal watching: William and Kate will get up close and personal with wild orangutans in Borneo

Getting back to nature: The Duke and Duchess will also head deep into the jungle in the Danum Valley in Borneo

Another traditional state dinner also beckons, although this one takes the form of an outdoor island feast with meats cooked in underground barbecues.
And then, just when the endless rounds of smiles and handshakes may have got a little too much, they will be whisked off to paradise – in a traditional war canoe.
The five-star Tavanipupu Private Island Resort is known as one of the South Pacific’s ‘best kept secrets’.
It says it offers ‘decadent king-sized beds, some of the best food on the planet, crystal clear water teeming with life, a relaxing massage over the water [and]  “real” local people who wait on you hand and foot  … in one of the wildest places left on earth.’
The 37-acre island, discovered by Europeans in the 19th century, was once a coconut plantation owned by Norwegian traders.
In the 1970s it was bought by English interior designer Dennis Bellote and his late partner Keith Paske, who turned the overgrown island into a luxury five star resort.

Poignant: The couple will be given the chance to view an orchid named after William's late, mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, which she never got to see

Stop off: On September 16 they will make their way to the Solomon Islands, which despite consisting of nearly 1,000 islands across 11,000 square miles, have a population of little over half a million

It is currently up for sale for just over £7.5million. The royal couple are believed to be staying there as guests of the Solomon Islands government, which is anxious to promote tourism in the area.
It is expected they will stay in a £300-a-night hand-thatched bungalow favoured by honeymooners which has been built over the crystalline waters of the Coral Sea and boasts a ‘majestic’ king-sized bed carved out of bamboo.

THE ROYAL'S SCHEDULE IN FULL:

• September 11: Singapore
• September 13: Malaysia
• September 15: Sabah, Malaysia (rainforest)
• September 16: Solomon Islands
• September 18: Tuvalu

Each of the resort’s eight bungalows has a personal attendant who can be summoned with a tap of a tribal drum.
Aides confirmed yesterday that the couple hope to do a little snorkelling before retiring to bed for an early start to Tuvalu the following morning.
The Queen last visited the island  in 1982 when she was carried ashore with Prince Philip from Britannia in a canoe.
This time William and Kate will arrive by plane but the locals are still determined to continue the custom.
‘We have really have no idea what to expect,’ their private secretary admitted yesterday.
The couple will be given a tour of the ten mile square island, including the coconut tree that was planted by the Queen on her last visit.
But it will be rather less luxurious than their previous stop. The island is plagued by ants and large rats, and the infrastructure is so limited that the couple will stay in only the most basic of hotels.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2195834/A-paradise-Kate-Middleton-Duke-Duchess-Cambridge-tour-exotic-East.html#ixzz25O9i9Vde

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WWF: Eat farmed fish instead

KOTA KINABALU - With marine life dying and fish from the sea becoming acutely scarce, a conservation group is pushing for farmed fishing.

"Fish species, such as the leopard coral trout (locally known as sunoh) and the hump-head wrasse (mameng) are decreasing. Yet, people do not seem to care," said World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia conservation director Dr Sundari Ramakrishna.

"There would be no more fish in the sea if people don't start protecting marine life and fishermen do not change the way they catch fish," she said during a reef fish campaign here to encourage consumers to eat farmed fish.

Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Tengku Zainal Adlin launched the campaign at the Tanjung Aru beach yesterday.

"Let us all start to conserve the environment," said Dr Sundari.

"Fish by using sustainable methods and make it a habit to choose farmed fish instead of endangered species of marine life," she added.

Tengku Zainal, the WWF Malaysia past chairman, urged fishermen to catch only "mature" fish and let the smaller ones go.

"If you stick to serving bigger fish, you can still earn a lot of money. The cake is still huge and there is enough for everyone.

"So, don't kill the small fish," he said, adding that over-fishing must stop and fish bombing and using coral-destructive chemicals in the ocean had caused fish stock to diminish.

Chefs from hotels and restaurants here came together to cook farmed fish at the event to show they were just as good as those caught in the sea.

Source: Asia One

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Beauties lead 'green fit' way

KOTA KINABALU - Pageant beauties are taking a step in a greener direction by promoting a healthy lifestyle in an environmentally-friendly way.

Former contestants of the Miss Earth Sabah pageant felt it was vital to practise a healthy lifestyle in order to carry out their duties effectively.

"Keeping fit and protecting the environment have a lot of things in common. The environment affects our health through the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.

"As concerned citizens and protectors of our environment, we can play our roles more effectively when we are physically fit and healthy," said Miss Earth Sabah franchise holder Mandy Nandu in a statement.

The former Miss Earth Malaysia 2009 said the mix of the two had given rise to the term "green fit".
In line with this, Core Fitness recently joined Miss Earth Sabah to promote a healthy lifestyle through fitness and a cleaner, greener environment.

Source: Asia One 

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Sabah's biodiversity not fully tapped

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah has yet to fully harness its rich biodiversity to become a new source of economic growth for the State but there is already a danger of locals' traditional knowledge of medicinal plants disappearing soon.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun, said this is due to various human related activities like deforestation, unsustainable harvesting of forest products as well as changes in government policy, especially land-use, among others.

He said indigenous knowledge, especially in relation to medicinal plants is still intact among indigenous or local communities in many parts of Sabah.

"However, this knowledge is not well documented and it stands in danger of being lost as its custodians are passing away," he said at the Ethno-Forestry Study and Workshop on Accessing and Commercialising Biodiversity, here, Wednesday.

In a speech read by Assistant Minister Datuk Ellron Angin, he said, the indigenous communities have accumulated immense knowledge of their environments, based on centuries of living close to nature.
They, he said, have an understanding of the properties of plants and animals, the functioning of ecosystems and the techniques for using and managing them that is particular and often detailed.

Hence, he sees the Study and Workshop as a step further in efforts to catapult Sabah to a leading position in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals by harnessing the State's biodiversity and indigenous knowledge.
He said the people are very fortunate that Sabah is not only rich in ethnic and cultural diversities but also in its biodiversity resources.

But in managing the resources, he said, they must exercise caution in the management of biological resources since by and large economic activities such as agriculture, logging, mining and tourism usually involve some form of land development.

"While all these developments are important to the State, we need to balance our present needs without compromising the needs of the future generation.

"Therefore, we must manage our natural resources both for economic and conservation purposes in a sustainable and integrated manner," he stressed.

Locally occurring species, Masidi said, are relied on for food, medicine, fuel, building materials and other products.

However, so far, there has been little systematic ethno-botanical survey made in this area, he said.

The Ethno-Forestry Study would explore and document indigenous knowledge and practices of the communities in the surrounding area of Imbak Canyon. He said elderly people and healers have knowledge about medicinal plants and their uses in healthcare.

With their long experiences and practices, Masidi said, they have acquired rich knowledge about the utilisation of plant resources in various ways.

And hence, the Study and Workshop is timely, he said.

"Firstly, as we all know, our elders do not live forever.

An old African proverb says, "When an elder dies, a library burns".

"This is true, but in the case of Sabah, I see that it may be more critical than a library burning, because a library can be rebuilt, and copies of books may be available elsewhere," he said.

He said some of the most important knowledge about the world is not contained in books.

It is a living knowledge, he said, where the sum of facts that are known or learned from experience or acquired through observation, are embedded in local practices and passed on from one generation to the next.

He said there is no "copy" available because there would definitely be variations from one community to the next.

And sadly, the present-day traditional healers are very old and dwindling in number by the day, he said.
This, he said, is a present danger to the traditional knowledge disappearing soon. Advancement in science and technology, he said, has also made it easier for people to acquire medicine for their sicknesses.

"Hence, most of the younger generation is not interested to carry on the tradition. The younger generation also have the tendency to migrate to cities for lucrative jobs, so wealth of knowledge in this area is declining," he said.

Secondly, he said, traditional knowledge may be lost forever amid increased development activities due to various human related activities like deforestation, unsustainable harvesting of forest products as well as changes in government policy, especially land-use.

And yet, Masidi said, Sabah has not fully harnessed its rich biodiversity to become a new source of economic growth for the State.

On the State Government's part, he said, it has enacted and enforced the Sabah Biodiversity Enactment 2000, which has paved the way for the setting up of the Sabah Biodiversity Council and Sabah Biodiversity Centre.

The council and centre, he said, are responsible for all the coordination work of the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem activities in Sabah.

Masidi said the issue of access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing has attracted increasing attention in recent years, but information in respect to its application and the challenges faced in implementing access and benefit-sharing arrangements is still lacking.

"Much works still need to be done especially in relation to rules and regulations to promote and safeguard the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources," he said.

He said related issues include prior informed consent and intellectual property rights, among others.

As science and technology advance while natural resources dwindle, he said, there is an increased interest in appropriating indigenous knowledge for scienti?c and commercial purposes.

He said some research and pharmaceutical companies are patenting, or claiming ownership of traditional medicinal plants, even though indigenous peoples have used such plants for generations.

But in many cases, he said, these companies do not recognise indigenous peoples' traditional ownership of such knowledge and deprive indigenous peoples of their fair share in the economic, medical or social bene?

Source: Daily Express

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