Barge beached in Sipadan

[malaysia-islands]

Zipsy, until you can prove that indeed they are building a luxury resort with exclusive diving, I'll take it that you always have vested hatred towards the Malaysian government. Your own country is no better anyway, with all the annoying deep ports and dinosaur-age causeway that block seawater free flow, you sounded as if you know how to run a country.

Why don't you go to Sipadan yourself to assess the damage, Zipsy-style.

 

[YCW]

No matter what damage it is to the reef system, it is still some damage. IMO we can't just say that it is only a small portion of the reef destroyed, and it is not such a big deal.

If someone goes into The Lourve (sorry, got caught on the Da Vicci movie fever too) and stole one of the paintings, would we say that it is OK? Since there are still probably a million other paintings left?

 

[jiveturkey]

I also think it's ironic that they kicked off the dive operators and now they're starting with new construction. This just doesn't make any sense. How can the officials who gave approval to this, justify their actions?

 

[bondi]

Zipsy, until you can prove that indeed they are building a luxury resort with exclusive diving, I'll take it that you always have vested hatred towards the Malaysian government. Your own country is no better anyway, with all the annoying deep ports and dinosaur-age causeway that block seawater free flow, you sounded as if you know how to run a country.

Why don't you go to Sipadan yourself to assess the damage, Zipsy-style.

Ermm....This was apparently reported in the Daily News Express as saying " Kota Kinabalu: The giant barge that apparently beached and scraped off pristine corals at Sipadan's famous Dropoff Point was bringing in materials and heavy equipment to build a RM5 million tourism facility comprising a restaurant-cum-clubhouse, scuba shop, office and staff quarters, sources said. "

The link is here: http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=42112

Hehehe....maybe a Berjaya Sipadan?!?

 

[Zippsy]

MI, it's not the officials I hate, it's the corruption and stupidity. Also, I'm not sure what I need to prove to you (or why) but if you read the Malaysia newspapers, you should see some good clues. Third, I'm not Singaporean - please don't blame my hosts. I'm from a different country with its own problems. Finally, I forgive you. Peace and happy diving.

 

[diver69]

I am hearbroken.

Been to Sipadan 6 times (travelled across the globe to get there) and enjoyed every single time.

What I don't get is:

How can the government claim to want to maintain the pristine island by kicking the resorts out, and now is spending 5 million (albeit, ringgits) to build facilities there?
I remember the resort I stayed at brought all the garbage back to Semporna and all the laundry were taken off the island to Semporna for cleaning.
How are they going to support the Restaurant/Clubhouse? Where is the garbage going to go? Where are they going to house the staff?

Second, why is the contractor not being penalized? In my opinion, the contract should be revoked, and contractor should be fined/jailed/shot! By the sound of it, the contractor will get to keep the contract and collect the 5 million ringgit pay check (minus whatever payoff he has to make) at the end of the day.

Is there really a need for a restaurant? When I was there last year, my dive resort brought a snack onto the island, and we all had a snack there, cleaned up and went back on the boat. Nothing wrong with that. We are there for the diving, not gourmet meals. A washroom may be (for those who really need to go and those who can't pee in their wetsuit), but a restaurant? What for? All the resorts are inclusive of the meals....Who else could possibly eat at the restaurant? The pirate? Illegal fishermen? or do they intend to develop Sipadan into a nice big tourist attraction (like Tanjung Aru Beach in Kota Kinabalu) despite of their claims of preserving the island?
A 5 million ringgit facility? I may be wrong, but 5 million can buy a very large facility in Malaysia...

I never agreed with kicking the resort off the island. I thought the resorts did a decent job of governing themselves and were keeping the island pretty clean. They also kept the illegal fishers away. however, last year, I saw tons of people on the beach, running around. Dozens of boats on the beach jockeying for position, kicking up sand and gravel and no doubt spilling oil and pollution into the sea....is that better than having the resorts there and the guest relax in their rooms or the dining hall away from the beach and not disturbing the wildlife?

And what's with all the secrecy surrounding the building of the "facilities"? I thought government contracts are supposed to be public knowledge? Well, may be not in Malaysia?

Finally, I wonder how much richer all the Ministers and government officials are going to be by the end of all this.

Before anyone bite my head off as being anti-Malaysian. Let it be known that I am a formal Malaysian - born and bred in KK. Left the country for school and never returned (except for visits). I love the country and its people. Can't stand idiotic government policies and corruption (regardless of subject country).:bigun2:

 

[Zippsy]

Just to show that I don't hate all Malaysian officials as someone has suggested, take a look at these two articles on Sipadan from the local newspaper:

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Datuk John Lim seem quite intelligent and dilligent here:
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=42186
These guys I like.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat seems like he was caught with his finger in the pie and is upset that people are complaining.
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=42118
This guy I don't.

See the difference?

On a related subject, I found that they have 31 people from the police, army and park rangers staying overnight on the island. Offhand I'd say that was a lot but why are they still having trouble keeping fishermen away? Also, I believe the papers quoted Chong as saying that the forces could not order the illegal barge away from the island because the person in charge (and with the weapons or the key to the weapons locker???) was away for a meeting in KK when the barge showed up. So 30 military / police were left un-armed and leaderless to guard the island? Even then, they could not figure out how to tell a barge operator to go away? Finally, do you think it's coincidence that that the boss was away when the barge showed up? Hmmmm.....

 

[lanun]

I'll take it that you always have vested hatred towards the Malaysian government.

jeeez. i on the other hand would like to thank zippsy for bringing this item to the attention of another forum, and i think others share the same thought. we should not treat critics of the event as anti this or that. some actually have a genuine desire to share their feelings on the issue.

i feel betrayed that something like this happened. so i emailed the PM about it.

 

[Christian]

Does anybody know where the money to this new resort comes from?

/christian

 

[Traminer]

Found this on the blog for Fins Magazine - I agree with the message, Sipadan is not ruined and deserves the continued presence of the international diving community, if only to keep the authorities honest and accountable for their actions.

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Sipadan - Message from the Dive Operators

Many of the dive operators and tourism officials from Sabah are currently at the Thai Travel & Dive Expo, and of course, the recent incident at the Sipadan Dropoff is a matter of great concern. After conferring with their relevant counterparties in Sabah, the dive operators have prepared a message for the global diving community:

The recent grounding of the barge at Sipadan due to inclement weather and a potential error by the contractor has led to an unfortunate situation which saddens us all. As the many divers who have visited us over the years can attest to, all the dive resorts in Sabah are deeply committed to protecting the unique and beautiful environment around us. After all, we earn a living from Sipadan and other world-famous dive sites here, so we have every incentive to protect this one-of-a-kind resource.

For clarity’s sake, to the best of our knowledge, the construction materials on the barge were not intended for a large hotel, as some sources have suggested. Rather, the materials were intended for the construction of improved rest facilities for divers visiting the island during the day, to replace the current temporary facilities. In fact, the construction of permanent facilities represents a major ongoing financial commitment by Sabah Parks and the Sabah Ministry of Tourism to ensure adequate infrastructure to preserve Sipadan’s environment. We are grateful for this support.

Everyone agrees that the accident is tragic, and in hindsight, many will argue that it was preventable. Certainly, these are issues that all of us will struggle with in the coming months, and we’ll all work together with the relevant government parties to ensure a positive future for our natural resources.

However, while it’s easy to get swept away by the emotional impact of the moment, we collectively feel the most constructive course of action at this stage is to concentrate on what we can do for the future. To this end, we are collectively committing to working with local and national government parties, who are currently conducting a damage assessment survey, to devise and implement a program for rebuilding and restoring the affected area as soon as possible. No doubt this will take time, but this is our home, and also our business, so we have the biggest stake in ensuring a positive outcome.

To conclude - if there’s a silver lining in every cloud, then this situation has highlighted to everyone in Sabah and the global dive community how fragile our marine resources are, and it’s reinforced the need for us to work together to keep them safe.

To everyone who’s sent messages of support and concern - thank you very much. And we hope to welcome you back to Sabah again soon.