May day message on mayhem of the human race..

The flora and fauna going extinct can be adverted with EcoGeneration in a Mayhem message

In the letter in Daily Express titled “Sabah’s wildlife may end up like rhino” 28/04/19,   SM Mohd Idris , President Sahabat Alam Malaysia  mentioned that “at least  one-fifth of mammals found in Malaysia is facing extinction”.  There is another international report to support a petition to save the animals saying that “we’ve wiped out nearly TWO-THIRDS of animal populations in just the last 50 years!”

So both are damn serious matters and I believe both statements refer to the animals in the wild. I wonder how they know and they are more concerned with the animals in wild than our friendly animals like dogs in our homes.

I am very concerned that dogs as depicted by the map outline of Sabah on the top of Borneo are really going extinct and people is complacent or indifferent about it. Such extinction is already in the pipeline by designs of the authorities and groups of people supporting that motive. How to stop this trend?

Those animals in the wild fall into the greedy hands of people who are more interested to destroy the natural habitat of the wild animals to make money for themselves in mono crops of oil palms and lesser into softwood.  As the greedy planters proceed to develop the plantations, many other greedy people also make money killing wild animals for food and global trafficking in such medicinal products. So is there any solution to prevent extinction of dogs and wild animals?

I think the message to everyone is that our dying earth for all known reasons is a certainty when our flora and fauna are near depleted level to keep our earthly environment at a sustainable position.  Are we so clever to outdo God with the once majestic earth at the beginning?  Did God make a mistake to give us the Garden Eden with all the flora and fauna? Are we not about to go to eternity known and unknown to us sooner than later?  Many of us maybe perishing with the fast rising temperature as compared with the fairly cool environment in my childhood days in Labuan just before Malaysia.

One of our last few rhino Gelugob died in Lok Kawi zoo in January 2014 could have died due to heat wave in the environment in the zoo where the mud pond had little shade cover so unlike in natural cool habitat.

One of the main reason for our diminishing dogs in our homes is our human attitude to care for them.

Don’t you see that birds of all sizes and pigeons are coming to residential areas for food when food in the jungles and forests have been depleted with poor quality and quantity of greenery.

So do we still have time to put our effort together to stop the declining flora and fauna which need each other when human beings need them most for our own existence? That is the imperative message for all.

For Borneo especially Sabah, we cannot rely on Heart of Borneo (HoB) alone for a sustained environment despite 11 years of global effort. Such effort must be tripled or many times when Sarawak and Kalimantan must increase its areas for HoB by several folds.

Apart from that, we need massive fund to make the desired impact in a range of enhanced activities to tackle the rundown Borneo first and go out-reach to other regions and then the ends of the earth.

For the funding intention we need to set up a private Flora and Fauna Foundation with seeds money of USD10m as part of the project for NGOs and individuals known as #EcoGeneration for social, charity and revenue generating industries in the green sectors.  #EcoGeneration after started would be a sustainable coalition of ecologists, consumers and environmentalists for a massive match to the global gigantic task to save the dying earth to save ourselves and we start this pressing project in Sabah to mitigate the crisis already at a late stage. Lets share the burden and don’t be deceived by all the piecemeal efforts lacking oomph to deal with our only earthly habitat with the ‘locked’ resources we still have here on earth until we finally reach heaven.  While we use our wealth in a mission to save the earth, we store our wealth in heaven.

Joshua Y C Kong 1/5/2019

Sandakan is the “eyes” of the dog-shaped head of Sabah

Sandakan is the “eyes” of the dog-shaped head of Sabah

What are the important issues for the 8^th By-election in Sandakan since May 9, 2018 for GE 14 ?  This is the first one in Sabah since GE14.

For the record, Rantau is the seventh by-election since the 14th general election (GE14) on May 9 last year, with five being state seats and two Parliamentary seats, Port Dickson and Cameron Highlands.

The results so far have been 4 for Pakatan Harapan  (PH) and 3 for Barisan Nasional (BN) with Sungai Kandis, Seri Setia, Balakong and Port Dickson to PH and Cameron Highlands, Semenyih and Rantau to BN

The electoral roll for the Sandakan seat has 39,856 ordinary voters.  The by-election would be the first anniversary of GE14.

Would this be an assessment or review of the performance of P H or too early for critical review?

Nevertheless much has happened to the nation and Sabah in particular especially if the PH’s election manifesto for GE14 is to be an indicator.

We know the major issues at stake namely MA63 (rights), GST/SST (cost of living), Project IC (dubious citizens) ; PDA and oil agreement with Petronas (resources), rainforests (logs), and Sandakan’s welfare and local economy ( business opportunities, security, and jobs).

Pakatan Harapan‘s manifesto 1^st Promise was abolish GST but how many people were aware of Promise 32 out of 60 was: Introduce a tax system that is people-friendly and entrepreneur-friendly but SST is not so friendly to all especially the lower level of people as costs of living went on unabated. GST at 6% was badly implemented and so is SST. Over regulation can “kill” potentialities in society. GST is definitely a better tax regime if not lopsided in its implementation processes.

We cannot avoid referring to the  Election Manifesto especially PILLAR 4: RETURN SABAH AND SARAWAK TO THE STATUS ACCORDED BY THE MALAYSIA AGREEMENT 1963  Promise 40: Implement the 1963 Malaysia Agreement,  Promise 41: To ensure the prosperity of the people of Sabah and Sarawak by enhancing the states’ economic growth Promise 42: Create more employment opportunities for Sabahan and Sarawakian youths,   Promise 43: Making Sabah and Sarawak a model of harmonious society,  Promise 44: Improving the quality of education and healthcare services,  Promise 45: Advancing the interest of the rural and remote populations,  Promise 46: Protecting the sovereignty and security of Sabah, Promise 47: Decentralisation of power to Sabah and Sarawak, . Promise 48: To return and guarantee the right of customary land of the people of Sabah and Sarawak.

Malaysia Baru can be “hollow” for Sabah and Sarawak  if the Pillar 4 of PH’s manifesto  is ill implemented. Maybe the report of Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) not OSAed can give some enlightenment on this pillar 4.

Can  PH’s manifesto for GE14 with the pledge “rebuilding the nation fulfilling our hopes” be implemented as soon as possible when we now know that the Parliament failed to amend the Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution in April, 2019 when the minister concerned also come from Sandakan?

Now the Law and Parliament Minister is talking of Parliament Selection Committee (another delay) when the Sabah State Assembly passed the motion to support Amendments to the Federal Constitution.

It is alleged that the said amendment failed for the refusal to insert the six words “pursuant to the Malaysia Agreement 1963” in the proposed Bill to amend Article1(2) of the Federal Constitution.

If the MA63 is itself an issue, then can we fall back on IGC report, 18/20 points and the declaration on 16 September, 1963 all part and parcel of formation of Malaysia?

We have seen in recent years a lot of domestic agitations over formation of “Malaysia” with committees after committees and not going any head way. It seems now that “Malaysia” is dubious and untouchable.

Since this is started in 1962, and to allay the blame, why not have a round table conference of the original five parties (except Brunei) who had signed MA63 together with UN to resolve the 55 years of impasse. We desire regional peace.  Brunei, Philippines and Indonesia plus UN can be observers.

Some people have been talking of referendum, arbitration, international and local Courts etc but would such measures work?

Assuming the amendment in Federal Constitution to make the three parties as equal partners as the original intention is accomplished, who would enforce the costly implementation?  Can it be that business as usual for 55 years?

We have also observed how Malaysia has bypassed UN such as ICERD, ICC, human rights, etc with impunity.

Project IC is still obvious a grievous matter in terms of human rights for the local to be displaced by the non citizens despite RCI on Illegal Immigrations Sabah.

Our oil wealth under our soil is being exploited to benefit outsiders and others without accountability and justification and RCI on Petronas is very much desired to establish how the Prime Ministers since 1976 dealt with Petronas.

Much of our rainforests is replaced by mono crop is also benefitting outsiders with the locals adapting to the rising temperature of more than 3 degree Celsius since 1970. The Heart of Borneo is not keeping our hearts cool.  Matured trees are still cut for the logs trade in the much diminished forests only to be replaced by commercial crops (oil palm and softwood) or small seedlings which may take another 100 years to mature if ever to abate climate change.

It is reported that Sandakan Is going through a bleak scenario for some years already as the ex MP Stephen Wong had it recorded in a video clip.  Short of a “ghosts” town once a bustling timber town, can the by-election with all the pressing issues still very much neglected make a move over for a better future for Sabah bring back our wealth as provided in MA63 and stop the sellout of our oil in Petronas as we enter an era of New Malaysia since GE14.

Joshua Y C Kong 22/04/2019