FROM BORNEO POST ONLINE
Beneficial exploitation of State’s biodiversity potentials requires more funds for research: Jabu
KUCHING: The State government is eyeing more intensification research priority areas (IRPA) funds from the federal government because it has a lot of biodiversity potentials yet to be exploited, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu.
“I have been advocating for more IRPA funds to be channelled to Sarawak and I’m still pursuing it,” he said during a working visit to the Research and Development Movement of Singai, Sarawak (Redeems) centre and its Bamboo Botanical Park Project in Singgai near Bau yesterday.
He pointed out that the State government was very conscientious about preserving its flora and fauna, which had led it to taking bold steps when it came to environmental control.
“For instance, Sarawak insists that the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) level should be 20 parts per million on effluents before discharge from palm oil mills to rivers unlike in Peninsular Malaysia where its BOD requirement is 100 parts per million.
“It is important that we clean our rivers now or it would be next to impossible to rehabilitate them later. We need to look after our rivers so that the younger generation of scientists will be able to harness them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jabu praised Redeems’ efforts for its bamboo botanical park project, saying it was a good example of synergy between the government and the people.
He said the idea of the park couldn’t have come at a better time because bamboos were synonymous with the traditions of the native people in the State, such as the Bidayuh. Also, bamboos were vanishing species, and what was done by Redeems was something to be proud of.
Jabu said the park, which is grown with five species of bamboo, would open the people’s eyes in as far as uses and functions of bamboo to the people are concerned. It would also provide the local people the raw material for their handicraft in a sustainable manner.
Redeems president Peter Nansian earlier said that Redeems, together with United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) had started the (park) project a year ago.
The project received US$50,000 as a start-up under the UNDP Global Environment Facility’s Small Grant Programme, and in 18 months since the project began, Redeems had been able to come up with RM150,000 in cash and RM50,000 in kind for the purpose.
Nansian pointed out that the bamboo park, sited on an idle community reserve land would serve partly as a bamboo museum and partly a resource centre for the economic development for the Singai people.
“Redeems is very much involved in mobilising the Singgai people to be self-sufficient, especially when it comes to economic development,” said Nansian, who is also Tasik Biru assemblyman.
He thus called on the people (of Singai) to believe in themselves, and urged them to come forward to work with Redeems.
“To make it a success though, the people should discard three negative attributes - perfectionist paralysis, armchair critic arthritis and egocentric syndrome,” he told them.
Before going to the centre and the park, Jabu visited an oil palm nursery along Bau-Lundu Road, belonging to Nansian’s company - Juara Beetuah Sdn Bhd.
Opar assemblyman Ranum Mina, Kemena assemblyman Dr Stephen Rundi, permanent secretary to the Ministry of Social Development and Urbanisation Ik Pahon Joyik, a political secretary to the Chief Minister, John David, and Temenggong Stephen Jussem were among those in the visiting party.
