Govt has not discussed reintroducing tapirs to Sabah – Masidi
KOTA KINABALU: Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun affirmed the state cabinet has yet to discuss bringing in a pair of male and female Malayan tapirs to Sabah.
When met at the Royal Institution Academy (RIA) graduation ceremony yesterday, Masidi said he was ‘shocked’ by a statement in a local daily that claimed the tapir would be reintroduced to Sabah.
“I’m shocked by the statement because as far as I know the state government has not discussed the issue.
“Maybe what took place was a discussion amongst scientists and specialists, but it has not been brought up to the state cabinet,” he said, stressing that at the end of the day, the power to make such decisions was with the state government.
As of now, Masidi said he considered the statement a mere suggestion as there were still issues that needed to be resolved and taken into account.
“A lot of things need to be discussed before the tapirs can be brought to Sabah, for instance, suitability.
“Tapirs have not been here for a long time and we need to consider its effects on other animals.
“This is not an overnight, snap decision that can be made today and have the tapir brought in tomorrow.
“There are many factors we need to evaluate, especially whether reintroducing the pair will bring more good or bad,” he said.
When asked to comment on Transport Minister Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai’s statement that his ministry was prepared to engage more airlines to use Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) to fly more tourists to the state, Masidi said we must first ensure we are equipped to receive them before working to increase the number of tourist arrivals to the state.
He said tourist arrivals were always welcome, but many factors needed to be taken into consideration.
“We welcome the move but what’s important is the decision-making process. From my experience, what is crucial, especially for the airline industry is efficiency in making decisions.
“Before we say there must be more flights coming in, we must also consider the demand.
“Airlines will only create a network of flights if there is a demand because they are also dependant on the profit factor.
“Another thing is accommodation. I’ve said before that we are at a point in our tourism industry where we need more hotels,” he said.
Masidi said he welcomed the idea but clarified that all parties must be realistic about the situation and current factors, which he said was demand, because airlines would only fly if it was profitable.