THE CICAK.com

Sipadan destruction unnoticed

By JULIET LAI

After many territorial disputes between Indonesia and Malaysia (since as early as 1969), Sipadan Island was finally awarded to Malaysia in 2002 by the International Court of Justice.

One would think that the victorious government would take better care of the island to demonstrate and prove to the world that Malaysia is worthy of this ownership. Indeed, in 2004 the Sabah government gave orders to vacate the island of its resorts and clear all man-made structures from Sipadan, a move that showed how serious they were in preserving this island’s pristine condition.

I was comforted to see this move and glad that the island’s well-being was not being compromised in the name of money. I approved that the government did not treat this precious gem like a cash cow.

I have been there only twice, yet I am deeply attached to Sipadan. It is a place like no other. And when I say that it is like no other, I am not merely spewing adjectives. Sipadan is as close to heaven as I’ve ever gotten.

Thousands of others who have been there echo my words. Even Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the father of scuba diving, raved of his awe for this tiny island’s breathtaking beauty. Nature in its pure state, as found on Sipadan’s shores, is a moving, unforgettable experience.

The news that I read about a barge accidentally scraping the reefs of Sipadan pierced my heart, and brought tears of rage. The area affected is not confirmed but witnesses have reported that it was about the size of several tennis courts. We are talking about corals, which grow at a delicate rate of one inch per year, wiped out in a careless instant, or in the words of one eyewitness, “The barge’s flat steel hull has wiped corals away like a titanic knife edge spreading butter on toast.”

The barge was reported to have been around the island for three days before the mishap occurred. There was ample time for authorities to react and prevent this environmental catastrophe.

Spilling from the barge are tonnes of massive building materials and machinery, including cranes and bulldozers. Are these intended for the Sipadan? If so, what was to be built? Were the chalets cleared away in 2004, ostensibly done in the name of conservation, but carried out in actuality to make way for another structure?

Explanations were given by the deputy Chief Minister of Sabah. An RM5 million project for a central rest area and quarters for park rangers and security personnels was to be built in Sipadan. The contractors were not approved to use a barge, he says.

There were not enough measures taken, I say. The barge was hanging around Sipadan for three days - there is no excuse.

He went on further to say that Sipadan may be closed.

May be?! What about definitely! Where are talks of the careful removal of the barge? That massive freight is resting on Sipadan’s fragile ecosystem, and the island might not be able to handle that weight. The barge has to be extracted immediately, and done under extreme care with all measures taken. This is what I want to hear from the government.

From the articles I read, I saw that the turtle cavern was among the sites affected. These are delicate caves, and cannot suffer any weight whatsoever. It is so unique that documentaries have been made about it - perhaps you have seen one in National Geographic about turtle tombs.

I hope its chambers remain intact. But with every day that passes with the barge lying upon the shores of Sipadan, the chances of it remaining intact diminish.

What about blacklisting the contractor? Why is there no-one ensuring that severe action is taken upon all who are responsible in this disaster? What about scrapping the plans of building whatever they’re building on the island? What about immediately forming a team of experts to study and analyse the extent of the damage on the island’s ecosystem - both short-term and long-term - and outlining what steps can be taken to nurture and ensure its ongoing health.

This is what I want to hear from my government.

Read about first-hand accounts here.

Updates:
1. Reactions from Malaysian Nature Society and several dive-masters in Sipadan can be read here

2. Five days after the environmental catastrophe in Sipadan, my C.M., Datuk Seri Musa Aman, gave an official reaction - he was furious.

He ordered a full probe and immediate suspension of all works in the island. The construction company responsible is Kumpulan Surati Sdn. Bhd., named in this article. The C.M. claims he had no prior knowledge of the approved construction.

A day before the C.M. gave his reaction, the Deputy C.M. Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat, said in an article: “The contractor has admitted to the mistake and has been cooperating with the authorities.” He also told Sabah Parks to take action, but not to the extent of cancelling the contract.

The opposition, Parti Keadilan Rakyat Sabah, lashed out at the government, demanding to know why there are plans for construction and whether the earlier evacuation of the chalets had masked a hidden agenda. They also questioned the careless monitoring of Sipadan’s well-being. The Deputy Chairperson of P.K.R., Christine Liew, also commented that restoration can be done but it will probably take a few hundred years.

This might be an exaggeration. But the results of the restoration would definitely not be seen in my lifetime, or that of my kids. The damaged areas are relatively small - but they are crucial sites.

All the reports mention Andrea and Antonella Ferrari, the two who first blogged about their shocked reactions to the incident. It was their reports that alerted the world to the barge accident in Sipadan. Christine Liew even said that to her shame and chagrin, it was from there that she had first heard about what happened.

Which makes me wonder, if they had not voiced it out, would we even know the ecological accident had happened?

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JULIET LAI is a contributing writer for theCICAK.

She eats books, loves skin and craves the wilderness. Juliet is a culture junkie, a poemless poet and a travel addict. She is dead without music and sleeps with poetry (sometimes). Visit her site.