Accused will have to prove he didn’t kill wildlife
KOTA KINABALU: Actions speak louder than words when it comes to saving the Sumatran rhinoceros that are already on the verge of extinction in Malaysia, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun.
Masidi explained that talks between the Sabah and Indonesian governments to initiate a collaborative breeding program had been ongoing for a while.
“We’ve always been talking to them, I think what is needed actually is to get it done,” said Masidi after the launch of Taiwanbased Camaco Gelato Concept Cafe at Jalan Dewan here yesterday.
“So far, we have not succeeded, so far we have not met. So far talks have been ongoing but getting it done, it has not materialized yet,” he said.
In June 2017, a cancer-stricken female rhinoceros, Puntung, was euthanized at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu.
Malaysia’s last female rhinoceros, Iman, is now sadly battling cancer since the end of last year.
“We have yet to find a cure, considering the fact that she is the only one left is even more difficult,” lamented Masidi.
“Sometimes you have to think twice before engaging in a treatment that has yet to be proven. It can go either way,” he said, adding that Iman is receiving the best treatment for her condition.
Meanwhile, Masidi wants the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 amendment to be done immediately.
However, he said preparation for the necessary bullet proof laws and other related requirement are still underway.
“Our priority is to make killing of wild animals a strict liability offence.
“Meaning to say, the chances of that succeeding in court cases will be higher because we are shifting the burden of proof from the prosecutor to the accused,” he said.
“The accused will have to prove that he didn’t do the alleged killing and that would obviously lighten the burden of the prosecutor to get convictions.
“It is being discussed but lawyers take a lot of time to get things done, probably they are not taking any chances,” he elaborated.
Masidi also expressed concern over the insufficient number of hotel rooms to accommodate the growing number of tourists to the state in the future.
He said as the state was enjoying encouraging numbers in tourism receipts, the state government feared its promotional efforts would be an exercise in futility.
“There are limitations to promote Sabah as we do not want the tourists to pitch up tents simply because we do not have enough rooms (for them).
“If there are not enough hotels, in the future, we will definitely have a big problem. Eventually, growth will become a plateau if the state tourism’s growth does not equal the availability of hotel rooms,” he said.
Masidi said his ministry, through its agencies such as the Sabah Tourism Board, was striving to ensure that there were enough hotels to meet future demands.
He said the state recorded RM7.25 billion in tourism receipts in 2016 and expected last year’s (2017) numbers to hit the RM7.7 billion mark.
On the cafe, Masidi said Camaco’s decision in setting up an outlet here was a manifestation of the company’s confidence in the business climate of the state capital and its growing sophistication.
With 14 foreign airlines flying to Kota Kinabalu and 178 flights per week, of them 84 from China alone, he said it clearly showed that the growing number of flights was a manifestation of tourist confidence in the city’s ability to grow.