Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
“The problem is Salinatan has no economy which has caused a serious exodus of young people, reducing a 600 population to 200, mainly elderly people remaining.
“So this loss of youth means there is really no future,” Ansom lamented in a night interview at the Kg Salinatan Rest House after travelling there whole day from KK with Tham Yau Kong on Dec 3, 2021.
In other words, he’s saying the village economy had basically collapsed. And, actually, a case of interior hardcore poverty.
The only treasure & future?
“But this is our future,” he pointed to a 500ha forested State land studded with a high concentrated on iron hard wood belian bounded by a pristine Saliu River.
“This is a treasure. Without this forest, we cannot survive, this is our water catchment , it supplies gravity water to Kg Salinatan, we need this forest, we must preserve it, we cannot let people destroy it, this means fight logging,” Ansom cited past loggers who swooped in to cut and sold the pricy iron wood for cash.
“If we let them continue, belians here will go extinct and we will have nothing left – doubling down on poverty.”
Self-inflicted pillage in this case.
Classic economic problem: Scarcity & easy eco money?
Ansom highlights a classic example the fundamental economic problem staring at poverty – stricken interior villages and district scarcity of jobs, source of income, revenue, services etc.
Deeply aware of it, they had built pre-emptive ecotourism infrastructures to protect what remains and at the same time, make money travel to Kg Salinatan to help the poor folks rise to at least meet some needs.
In economics, tourism is deemed an “export” sometimes hailed as the fastest and easiest money in the production of goods and services.
Stephen Liew, MD of a former Wildlife Expeditions once quipped:
“See, tourists come to Kinabatangan just to look at the elephants and pay for it – sheer export revenue! with no sale of the elephants”
Neither did Sabah do anything to produce elephants, or orangutans, proboscis monkeys. Sea turtles, coral reefs, islands, Mt Kinabalu etc, they are pure gifts of nature which none-the-less make multiple millions per annum out of them.
But almost every word from the mouth of Sabahans is just politics, and economics?
Economic interest – Sabah vs China
By and large, Sabahans don’t know what what economics portend.
On the other hand, mainland Chinese conversations often centre of macro-economic growth, particularly government drive on “common prosperity” and how the initiative had lifted 800 million from absolute poverty, making sure wealth is not concentrated in a small percentage of billionaires like the USA but distributed across the population.
Small wonder China had actually risen to the world’s largest economy based on “Purchasing Power Parity “ (PPP) with on estimated GDP (PPP) of over $37 trillion to $43 trillion, surpassing the US which ranks second.
Basic economics – Money travels
For the sake of this report, see how this tourism “Export” revenue contribute to the standard calculation of GDP, as follows.
GDP/National Income, or Y = C + I + G + (X – M) where C represents Consumption (Household Spending), I represents Investment (Business Spending), G represents Government Spending and Net Export (Exports minus Import).
In economic reasoning, what one person spends is income for another.
“One person’s spending is another’s income” is a fundamental economic principle showing how money travels through the economy where every purchase becomes revenue for someone else.
“For example, what you spend on a meal in a restaurant pays restaurant staff and suppliers, which forms the basis what economists call the ‘Circular Flow of Income’, linking household spending with firm revenue, and ultimately to wages and profits , illustrating how consumer spending fuels economic activity (eg ecotourism travel and trips) and eventually, GDP.
It is this key concept on “Circular Flow of Income” which explains how money travels from household (eco-tourists in our context) spending to firm (revenues, incomes, wages to Kg Salinatan in our context ) back to household, creating an continuous cycle.
This cycle is the classic Economic Engine or Consumer Powerhouse which illustrates that consumer spending is vital.
Tham’s help in a nutshell
When consumers spend, money travels.
When eco-tourists travel to Kg Salinatan eco-project and spend on experiencing authentic Murut culture, rustic outback village, food, old growth forest, towering belian ironwood trees, a robust pump boat river ride battling rapids up and down the Saliu River, money travels to villagers of Kg Salinatan in the form of jobs, incomes.
In a nutshell, that’s why Tham Yau Kong brought this “Roving Reporter” to Kg Salinatan Dec 3-5, 2021, to see how the ‘power of the pen’ may kick start money travel to this unsung village to help breathe some economic life into it.
Tham said he had heard some good words how Ansom Tutiang, President of the Murut Tahol Association had managed to rally the community to build a credible ecotourism infrastructure ready to receive niche eco tourists who fancy a wild interior outback experience.
Help money travel to a pre-emptive ecotourism move
Under Ansom’s natural leadership, he initiated the Kg Salinatan Ecotourism Association, made nephew cum teacher Aloysius Robert its President and then Deputy, the late Ramlie Butak – a Padas river rafting old hand, basically as a pre-emptive fight to ward off destruction of the only economic future left, as he saw it.
Besides feeling the mood of a traditional Murut village, the centre-piece natural attraction is a 500ha old growth forest studded with soaring harrdwood belian (Eusideroxylon zwageri) which form the catchment of a pristine Saliu River that the villagers had zealously guarded from intruders.
Could that be a compelling lure to city folks?
Veteran trekker and adventure tour operator Tham Yau Kong wasn’t sure but seeing the incredible zeal and infrastructural initiative, he threw his weight behind Ansom and his team.
“I was surprised when I heard from a fellow guide who told me this community had cut a 7km jungle hiking trail to enable trekkers walk past some 70 belian trees, basically in the middle of nowhere, ending in a decent campsite facility which can also be accessed from the river bank up a 200-step belian staircase hewn out of abandoned belian logs found in Saliu river, all done during the Covid years between 2019-21, at their own cost!” Tham said.
Daily Express’ ‘Roving Reporter’ lent its ‘Power of the Pen’ once more
To cut the story short, come Dec 3, 2021, Tham and I left KK real early, picked up his informant in Nabawan before heading to Ansom’s kampong house for a 4-wheel drive rendezvous.
The dirt track ride to Salinatan that time was dry and comfortable actually.
After a sumptuous Murutic lunch, time for the expectant outboard-driven boat ride up crystal clear Saliu river, battling multiple rapids steered by incredibly skilful local Murut lads, past intact riparian forest reserves both sides, ending in a 200-step master piece belian staircase leading up a steep slope to the jungle clad campsite built to enable trekkers either to rest or camp overnight for those who so choose, presumably after a 7km trek through the belian park where rafflesia had reportedly been seen.
On the boat ride down, Ansom stopped everybody to look at a huge 500-year old belian tree soaring 100 ft to the sky, which marks the starting point of the 7km hiking trail to the camp site.
The huge belian tree was the most photographed attraction because of its massive trunk and height.
Murut patriarch kept his word
Further downstream, Ansom made a second stop at an old house he used to live and showed a showed this writer belian pilings in a sprawling open grass land.
“This is where I intend to build a long house with a lansarang at the centre because that is the heart of the Murul Tahol culture,” Ansom was emphatic.
Well he kept his word.
Come June 14, 2025, the longhouse was officially opened, supposedly by the Nabawan District Officer.
And Ansom gave Tham a directive: “Make sure Kan (Daily Express) is there to cover the event.
Tham, not able to make it that day, duly arranged Ramli to pick me up at Hilltop on June 13, 2025.
This time, it was no more a private party, it was like a feast and a crowd including Sabah Tourism Board officers, Federal tourism representatives, starting with a memorable cultural show on the night, centred on a Lansarang jumping competition.
The longhouse and its rich Lansarang culture will be the story in next Sunday’s third part.
