Usher in ‘Year of the Tiger’ by being more environmentally-aware, community advised
SIBU: Temenggong Datuk Vincent Lau Lee Ming has called upon the people to be more environmentally-aware as the ‘Year of Tiger’ approaches.
The Sibu paramount Chinese community leader highlighted this in his speech for a Chinese New Year dinner hosted by the Nangka branch of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) at a restaurant here last Friday.
“The Year of Tiger is approaching.
“Tiger symbolises power, but in sad reality, it is facing extinction.
“According to reports, since the 20th century the tiger population has dropped from 100,000 to only 5,000.
“The Bali, Java and Caspian Sea species of tigers in Asia have gone extinct, while the Siberian, Bengal, Sumatra, South China and Indo-China species are listed as endangered.
“There are only 20 Siberian tigers left. In New Delhi, there are only 1,411 Bengal tigers left in the wild; this figure amounts to less than half of the population recorded in 2002.
“The tiger is supposed to be the ‘King of the Jungle, but why have they ended up in such a sorry state?” he said, citing data from various reports.
Lau said the environment was amongst the key factors contributing to the sharp decline in the number of tigers still in the wild.
In this relation, he said the world population had been growing at such a fast rate, causing development to grow at the same pace alongside it.
“This has led to greater carbon emissions and the clearing of virgin forests, forcing the tigers to retreat and threatening their survival.”
On a separate subject, Lau called upon members of SUPP Nangka to learn and emulate nature’s survival instinct.
“The members should work together as a team to strengthen themselves, and contribute to the development of Sarawak.
“No matter where they are in the organisation or within a country or region, in this age of globalisation, one is no longer ‘confined to his own castle’.
“He must step out to join the group and compete with them, but at the same time, he must also work with them so as to see a brighter future together,” he said, also reminding everyone about the fast-changing world in this information technology (IT) age.