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FINALLY, we confront the infrastructural imperative for remote villages. Kampong Salinatan – 40km from Nabawan – is a case in point. Infrastructures are weak.So it gets by with the so called “Natural Infrastructure”.

Often described as “Nature at its best” – strategically managed ecosystem that functions as self-sustaining, multi – purpose assets. 

Instead of rigid concrete built structures, this approach uses natural features – forests, rivers, self-repairing ecosystem etc  to provide essential services, clean water supply, biodiversity, clean air quality etc.

But can it depend on natural infrastructures for ever?

To see this, think about a possible venture to a “far from the madding crowd” destination unheard of by most  – Tahas Tininting, the first community based ecotourism initiative – a peaceful, rustic idyllic gateway to a wonderful bucolic retreat located deep inside Murut heartland, far from the hustle and bustle of city life, near the Kalimanatan border. 

Tahas means belian ironwood in Murut Tahol. Tininting connotes together in one place.

Together, Tahas Tininting refers to a 500ha forest at the back of Kg Salinatan, Pesiangan, where a substantial concentration of belian stands, reputed for durability, resistance to decay and termite attacks, is found. 

That alone is a source of immense pride for the Murut community who found the single biggest reason for a perpetual protection and label it a “Belian Park” and even “Mini National Park”, meaning “don’t touch it.” 

But typically, infrastructures in remote, isolated villages like Kg Salinatan is weak, the economy down, people especially youths, left.                   

Belian – back bone of Natural Infrastructure 

What did anybody do about it?

Not the government but a community leader such as Ansom Tutiang , a retired principal of 34 years, rallied a handful of equally concerned believers like his nephew cum teacher Aloysius Robert, together with I believe, the late Ramlie Bhutak,a rafting expert, formed the Kg Salinatan Ecotourism Association comprising a group of 20 families.           

To cut the story short, the group realised the high density of belian stands could form the backbone of a natural infrastructure to develop an ecotourism destination out of it. They sought advice from tour agents, and used Covid years to build a 7km trekking trail around belian trees, ending in an impressive campsite accessible from the Saliu river by a 200-step belian staircase which this writer visited in Dec 2021, together with Tham Yau Kong and son.

Hats off for the surprising quality of the natural infrastructure they had put together in the middle of nowhere!

They mean business 

It’s clear they meant business. 

It was during that 2021 trip that Ansom promised he would cap the development with a spacious belian Murut longhouse complete with a traditional lansaran centre piece, including four accessory buildings that now form the heart of Tahas Tininting which was officially opened on June 14, 2025 by Nabawan District Officer, Marsha bin Anthony.          

Here is an entire rural community, with its shared culture and human solidarity with nature looming much larger hardly touched by the chaos of cities.

It fits the bill of “Nature at its Best” in a mystical dream country.      

There is no road access to the longhouse, but you treasure that scintillating 15-minute pure river ride by pump boat to it from Kg Salinatan proper, there is no internet, a bit frustrating, no SESB, only a diesel gen set to light up the night, no Sabah Water Department but yes- gushing pure gravity water straight from a jealously protected  belian forest catchment.

Showers? Freezing cold mountain water, you miss the Joven heating infrastructure.    

In other words, essential services come mainly from natural infrastructures. Not perfect, one feels the gap between grey and natural infrastructure.

But on that basis, this only natural infrastructure driven community ecotourism outfit designed to address the economic doldrum stands able to offer a range of sellable niche products that include of course a Murut longhouse experience, outdoor camping for those who so wish, sports fishing guided by veteran angler Rushdi Lusi, exciting lansaran jumping competition, colourful traditional Murut cultural shows, boat race, trekking both day and night to spot wildlife like sambar deer, mouse deer, monkeys, civet cats, snakes, Porcupines, a diversity of insects etc.             

What China did on weak village infrastructures

In the long run however, the limitations of natural infrastructure will inevitably push rural folks to match what city folks are getting.    

Where can we look to see this?

No doubt China, for the simple reason that it is the global leader in infrastructure development by being the world’s largest investor, dedicating 12pc of its GDP to construction, pioneering a massive scale projects like its famous Belt and Road (BRI) initiative (1 + trillion involved). 

It leads in high speed rail, smart cities, and digital, energy and transportation infrastructure that is reshaping global connectivity.

But the scale and grandeur of BRI feels a bit too far-fetched for little Sabah.

What is relevant for Sabah to study is what China has done at their village level, given Sabah’s disrepute as having most of the top 10 poorest districts in Malaysia, are found in Sabah.      

Here is the common point. Infrastructures in China’s remote villages were once weak, much like Kampong Salinatan.  

Massive State funded investments

But what did China do about it?

China addressed weak infrastructures in remote villages through massive State funded investment programmes – notably  the “San Tong (Three Links / Three connections)” projects started in 2003 which secured Electricity, Water, Road  access for almost all villages – key initiatives focussed on accelerating rural broadband, building high standard farmlands and improving transportation, transforming remote areas and reducing rural – urban divides.     

In 2005, following the launch of the National “Village Redevelopment” initiative, China began to significantly ramp up, restructure and implement nationwide village infrastructure improvements under the broader “new rural community” of “Village Redevelopment” initiatives.   

What China has done is nothing short of amazement, something difficult for the Sabah Government to even contemplate, as it has so far been not very successful in really getting the Federal Government in Putrajaya to fulfil its obligation to give 40pc of its revenue derived from Sabah. 

So it is hard to imagine Sabah can match the financial might of China to reduce village poverty   

Key actions to improve village infrastructures

China’s key actions to improve village infrastructures are as follows:   

• Energy and utility access: The Government invested heavily in rural power, with 99pc of villages gaining electricity access in 2010. Rural hydropower construction surged, increasing 12 folds between 1990 and 2010, ensuring stable power supply.
• Transportation improvements: Decades long efforts focussed on building highways and road connecting remote mountains and isolated villages to the outside world.
• Digital infrastructure (Broad Band) : Through the Broad Band China initiative, the Government expanded high speed internet  and mobile phone coverage to administrative villages, reducing the digital divide  and enabling rural e-commerce that would boost village economies, addressing exactly what Kg Salinatan village leader Ansom Putiang’s complaint his village has basically “no economy”, so 60-70pc of villagers, mainly young people had left for greener pastures, leaving behind mainly old folks, no future!
• Agricultural and Living Standard:  Investments focussed on creating high standard farmlands with better irrigation and disaster resistant programs also targeted  modernisation of toilets and improved waste treatments.
• E-commerce Integration: To boost local economies, the Government facilitated digital infrastructure, allowing rural residents to use e-platform for selling produce.       

Of interest to Sabah as “the poorest State in Malaysia” 

As Sabah has the reputation of being the poorest state in Malaysia, it is definitely of interest to Sabahans to see the truth that the Infrastructure & Social Services program in China’s case is part of a wider strategy which prioritized connecting villages with electricity, safe drinking water and road access, was an integral part of its targeted  poverty alleviation program  which played a critical role in lifting 800 million people out of absolute poverty by 2020.

In context of this massive poverty lifting achievement, it must be pointed out that what worked in China was “Six precise measures” by accurately identifying poor households, tailored assistance and rigorous evaluation.

What contributed to China’s spectacular success in lifting absolute poverty

One of the reasons China succeeded spectacularly in eliminating absolute poverty from 800 million, is that instead of blanket aid, the strategy shifted to the hard work of doing precise individual-level interventions.             

The strategies included:

• Targeted Identification and Files: The government built an comprehensive IT-based nation-wide, household level registration system to identifying exactly who was poor and why, ensuring the aid reached  the correct recipients.
• Six Precise Areas: The program ensured precision in identifying individuals, arranging programs, utilizing capital, taking household-based measures, dispatching  “first Party secretaries” to villages and achieving  specific goals. Official data  often cited in Chinese State media, including China Daily which indicates that 770 such officials dispatched to  rural areas to lead eradication efforts, died  due to causes like overwork, accidents ad illness during the campaign. In fact, Eric Li, the well-known and articulate Chinese venture capitalist and political scientist and commentator claimed in various talks that over 2000, died who paid the ultimate personal price!
• “Five Measures” for Poverty Eradication: This involved boosting the local economy for jobs, relocating residents from uninhabitable areas, ecological protection compensation whatever this means, improving education, and providing subsistence allowance. 
• Broad-Based Economic Growth: This was combined with long term sustained economic reforms that increased rural incomes, agricultural productivity and industrialisation.  

So, one thing is clear, the Sabah Government has a mountain of infrastructure developments to do.