Let scientific facts reshape decision on Sukau Bridge

Published on: Saturday, January 21, 2017

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By Kan Yaw Chong
THERE is very interesting law called Cuningham’s Law.

It says this: “The best way to get the right answer is not to ask a question, it is to post the wrong answer.”

Well, it seems to apply to our contentious Sukau bridge.

Enough authoritative voices, such as Datuk Wilfred Lingham, Dr Benoit Goossens and Datuk KL Tan etc have said that the Sukau bridge followed by an aggressive highway that cuts through the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary at Lot 3, is the wrong answer to provide the ‘right to a decent life’ to poor villagers south of Kinabatangan River.

Since 95pc of Sukau folks already have direct access to Sandakan, it is much wiser to improve the roads in southern Kinabatangan to upgrade direct acess to Lahad Datu instead of building the bridge, it is argued.

But suddenly, Dr Goossens showed us the right ‘centre of concern’ in this raging dispute is science – a map on hard scientific facts and data that bridge and highway will rip through precisely a Sukau area that had recorded the largest concentration of elephant footprints after plotting jumbo movements in a four year GPS study.

The map reached Daily Express on January 16 along with a press statement from geneticist Dr Benoit Gosssens – a Sabah-based lecturer from the ‘Organisms & Environment Division’, Cardiff University, UK and Research Affiliate for Sustainable Places, Research Institute, Cardiff University.

Use data on map to debate the bridge

So all of a sudden we realised we need to open this map to all Sabahans and suggest they use scientific facts rather than emotive feelings or just eco-business imperatives to talk about the issue.

Dr Goossens’ caption for the map can really be the game changer and it reads as follows: “Map showing four years of location (GPS) points for Puteri, a female elephant that was collared in Nov 2012.

Puteri recently dropped at Danau Girang Field Centre (near Batu Puteh bridge).

It clearly shows a large concentration of Puteri’s foot prints in Sukau area – a hotspot for elephant movements along the Kinabatangan.” Since the Kinabatangan herd totals 200 to 250, Daily Express clarified: “Is Puteri part of the whole herd?”

Goossens: “She is part of a group of about 15 individuals but sometimes they congregate together and can form a herd of 100 plus.”

Movement of Puteri typifies the 250-strong herd

DE: OK, you have plotted the movement of Puteri, does her movement typify that of whole 200-250 Kinabatangan herd?

Goossens: “Yes, she (Puteri) typifies the movement of the whole herd.”

So there is little doubt that this definitive scientific basis which prompts Goossens dare describe it “Bridge to extinction” with a last ditch warning as follows:

“The new public road that will subsequently follow the bridge will cut off the last remaining uninhabited route for elephants near Sukau, which will have a catastrophic consequence for both the animals and the people.”

That’s a scientist’s opinion.

The floor is now opened to all concerned Sabahans to talk about the science of it.