THE CICAK.com

HEROES: Saving the environment one reef at a time

Photo of (Left to right) Shiau Lee, Yoke Lee

By KOK SHIAU LEE

A few years back, I was just an ordinary and plain girl who only knew the way from home to school, from school to home, and from home to daddy’s shop. All this until I wrote my first essay regarding the youths’ role in combating AIDS, and then attended a seminar on HIV and AIDS. That was the first time I met her.

She had a sisterly, cheerful composure, which attracted much attention towards her ideas and somewhat set her apart from the other youth in this seminar. I felt like a dwarf when I stood in front of her. Now, I do not feel like a dwarf anymore, not because she isn’t the giant I knew a few years ago, but because today she is my friend.

My favorite mentor is a daring and happy-go-lucky girl who does not mind pursuing her dream – conserving marine resources – in alien environments. Yoke Lee is a marine biologist, but her job descriptions do not sound as grand as its name: she dives and researches ocean creatures. Some people think that this job is just a waste of money. However, her profession will hopefully allow our children to see Leatherback turtles swimming joyfully along the South China Sea, among others.

My friend is also the editor of Mameng News, a circulation that is available in both electronic and print versions. This newsletter has the latest information on marine conservation and the work of WWF Malaysia. In its newest edition, the magazine disseminates the latest news regarding the proposed Tun Mustapha Park in Kudat-Banggi, the soon-to-be largest marine protected area in Malaysia. This park will allow fish to spawn and will provide valuable virgin sites for scientific research, to be conducted by various organizations such as Greenforce and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). Tun Mustapha Park will also incorporate local participation, encouraging communities to contribute their experience and knowledge to the development of the park.

Besides that, Yoke Lee is the coordinator of the Banggi Environmental Awareness Centre (BEAC), Karakit, Banggi, which is also the workplace for the WWF Banggi Youth Club. She exposes the youth community of Banggi to various issues of marine preservation and also teaches conversational English classes for anglers at Maliangin and Karakit. In addition to that, Yoke Lee delegates the community of Pulau Maliangin to manage the nearby marine reserve, Maliangin Sanctuary, which is a pilot marine protected area. She educates them about their roles in conserving marine life and teaches them the proper ways to maintain sustainable fishing industries.

Yoke Lee is very passionate about her work, and her greatest passion is coral reef conservation. She enjoys communicating with the locals and encouraging them to participate in preserving their marine heritage. She is a visionary leader who serves the community through an intensive, engaging community-building programme. She is a youth leader who has inevitably gone through many ups and downs, but what sets her apart is her great determination to make small differences in small communities, small steps towards great changes, to create a better marine life for this universe.

Today I talked to my aunt and her 16-year-old daughter regarding Yoke Lee and her efforts in coral reef conservation. I explained how I met this girl and what she does for a living.

My aunt asked, “She went to Sabah alone ah?”

I nodded.

Then, she asked again “Her mom no worry meh?”

I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head.

Then, she continued, “Aiyo, cannot wan… Like that very dangerous for a girl to travel and work alone. Some more have to work with many strangers. Like that no good.”

I replied, “But…”

My aunt continued, “But is good also-la… Still young, better travel around and open her mind and also try to save the world by protecting those stones in the sea.”

I protested, “Aiyo auntie, coral reefs are not stone, they are a type of animal.”

Then my cousin, Mei asked, “Jie, The coral reefs are so stony and hard, why do you say that they are a kind of animal?”

I was unsure how to convince another person about that, as almost 90 percent of people I know think that coral reefs are plants (or stones) in the sea. However, despite my shallow knowledge, I still tried my best to explain coral reefs.

I gulped my saliva and replied, “Well, they are not exactly animals. Coral reefs are living organisms that produce aragonite structures, which are the stony corals. This is why people still assume that corals are not living organisms.”

Mei skeptically asked, “Well, then why doesn’t this living organism have a face, mouth, nose and hands like me and you?”

I replied my mischievous cousin with basic scientific principles regarding the different characteristics of living organisms. Mei was very satisfied and happy that she learnt new things, but she was still very skeptical to spread the words around because she was worried that her friends may not believe her. However, she wishes that she could be like Yoke Lee, to be able to travel around and do things that she likes. She admires Yoke Lee’s determination and her belief in herself, and one day hopes that she will be able to find in herself this same determination to pursue her dreams.

From the conversation, I found out that my aunt was very skeptical to see a young girl traveling around without family care and support. She also thought that it was dangerous. I believe she sees this from a mother’s point of view. However, deep down, she definitely felt a sense of envy and pride towards Yoke Lee’s determination to preserve our coral reefs. On the other hand, my cousin felt that Yoke Lee had the freedom to choose the things she want to do. She may not name Yoke Lee as her unsung hero, but now she knows the existence of another girl who pursued her dreams regardless of what other people thought. Therefore, in a little way, this unsung heroin, somehow, somewhere, convinced another girl to pursue her dreams, and helped a 40-plus single mother learn more about letting her daughter find her own path of freedom.

Our country is full of heroic people who are not military leaders or computer wizards, but who are doing something to keep alive the spirit of protecting Mother Nature. That is why I am not particularly sure what the meaning of unsung heroes is. Are they people who make big “differences” but, in fact, have no effect on other people? Or are they those who make small differences but have impacts on their communities? Well, it does not really matter now as long as one makes a difference in another person’s life. For example, I learnt about the environment and also my roles and responsibilities in protecting our environment from Yoke Lee. And today I am not any more the ordinary and plain girl, but rather a more focused person with vision. This unsung heroin has made a difference in my life and with her encouragement I have gained my own perspective in which I see the world.

I do know that there are many individuals out there – most of them unsung, unrecognized – who have acted on their beliefs and passions for a more equal and peace-loving society. Who fight alienation, who dispel gloom, who risk the odds, and who banish disenfranchising perceptions from people’s thoughts. It is important to remember these forgotten heroes from the past and keep on looking around among us for the unknown heroes of today.

If you’d like to vote this entry for the People’s Choice Award, please send an e-mail message to: write4thecicak@gmail.com
Subject: Heroes - Yoke Lee/Kok Shiau Lee.