By Fiqah Roslan
Minister Kula among M’sia-Asean group on Mt Kinabalu
KOTA KINABALU: A group of 48 climbers from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, including Minister of Human Resources M Kulasegaran and renowned mountain climber Ravi Tharumalingam, took part in the eighth Malaysia-Asean Kinabalu Climb on Sunday, Feb 24.
Organised by Global Expedition Club Malaysia, the climb saw 90 per cent of participants successfully made their way to the summit of Mount Kinabalu.
Ravi, known for having climbed Mount Everest twice, said the Mount Kinabalu climb was aimed at exposing climbers from Asean countries to the challenge of scaling the Unesco World Heritage Site, which is the highest peak in the region, as well as providing an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of Mount Kinabalu.
“We want to show to the Asean community what Mount Kinabalu has to offer and we want them to share our appreciation for the complexity of the climb. We hope that this would encourage them to use Mount Kinabalu as a training ground while they prepare to climb other peaks.
“The Kinabalu climb is our annual programme. Starting this year, we will do it twice a year. We hope that by involving climbers from around the region, they will go back to their countries and tell people about their experience,” he said at the closing ceremony of the expedition yesterday, where certificates were presented to the participants.
Despite the challenges, especially due to some shift in landscape following the earthquakes, Ravi commended Sabah Parks for its safety features, saying it was the best national park he had seen.
“I’ve been to a number of parks but Sabah Parks is the best. They are well-prepared with all safety aspects, one of them being identifying danger zones.
“There are certain zones along the trail up the mountain where climbers are advised to move quickly, in case of rock slide. Sabah Parks did a very good job to ensure all climbers arrive at their destination safely,” he said.
Climbing the mountain would be a good experience, especially for youths, as well as promotes a healthier lifestyle, said Kulasegaran.
He urged youths to take advantage of the opportunity to climb a mountain in our own country.
“More youths should participate in this kind of hikes and Malaysians must take full advantage of our heritage sites. It’s a positive thing to do and we don’t need to go far to experience climbing a challenging but beautiful mountain.
“Many studies show that Malaysia is one of the most “unfit” countries in the region. Perhaps our activities need to change for the better and this is one of the ways it could.
“The ministry would gladly assist children from schools who wish to climb the mountain, especially from Peninsular Malaysia. I will also speak with the Minister of Youth and Sports at the federal level, to get more people to experience Mount Kinabalu for themselves,” he said.
Kulasegaran said climbing the mountain was more challenging than he had anticipated. This was because of the steep trail from the base camp to the summit, more so the rapid change in altitude.
Nonetheless, he said he would love to climb Mount Kinabalu again, if time permits.