No need to politicise collapse of iconic sea stack, says Karim

KUCHING: The recent collapse of the iconic sea stack at Bako National Park was God’s will and should not be politicised, says Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

In this regard, the Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts questioned a post on Facebook by Democratic Action Party (DAP) man Michael Kong in which the latter said the Sarawak government should have taken more decisive action to protect the natural wonder.

“When I read Kong’s post, even the rocks are being politicised. I’ve never heard Kong talk about preservation (of natural wonders) since it (collapse) went viral yesterday (Feb 13).

“His post is more or less like sarcasm, as if we (state government) did not do anything to protect and preserve our natural heritage,” said Abdul Karim told a press conference at his office here yesterday.

He said the collapse of Bako National Park’s sea stack was similar to the 2020 collapse of the famous ‘horse head drinking water’ rock formation at Tusan Beach in Miri.

He added that he had received countless messages, including from abroad, expressing sadness over the sea stack’s collapse.

Earlier yesterday, Kong in a statement said Sarawak should draw inspiration from preservation efforts for the

‘12 Apostles’ rock formation in Victoria, Australia to prevent a repeat of the collapse of the iconic sea stack at Bako National Park.

Kong, who is special assistant to DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen, said the state must adopt proactive measures to ensure the sustained preservation and development of its natural assets.

While acknowledging that weather conditions may have contributed to the demise of the rock formation, he said preventative measures could have mitigated the impact.

“Natural wonders are integral to our tourism landscape, and the government ought to take decisive action to protect them,” he said.