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Sabah
Sabah is one of 13
member states of Malaysia.[1]
It is located on the northern portion of
the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country
after Sarawak, which it borders on its south-west. It also shares a
border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south.
In spite of its status as a Malaysian state, Sabah remains a disputed
territory; the Philippines has a dormant claim over much of the eastern
part of the territory.[2][3] The capital of Sabah is Kota Kinabalu,
formerly known as Jesselton. Sabah is known as "Sabah, negeri di bawah
bayu", which means "Sabah, the land below the wind", because of its
location just south of the typhoon-prone region around the Philippines.
| Sabah |
| — State — |
Flag |
Coat of
arms | |
| Motto: Sabah Maju Jaya |
| Anthem: Sabah Tanah Airku |
|
Sabah in
Malaysia |
Coordinates:
 5°15′N 117°0′E |
| Capital |
Kota
Kinabalu |
| Government |
| - Ruling party |
Barisan
Nasional |
| - Governor |
Ahmadshah Abdullah |
| - Chief Minister
(Ketua Menteri) |
Musa Aman |
| Area |
| - Total |
76,115 km2 (29,388.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2009 est.) |
| - Total |
3,202,880 |
| - Density |
42.1/km2 (109/sq mi) |
| Demonym |
Sabahan |
| Human Development Index |
| - HDI (2010) |
0.659 (medium) (13th) |
| Postal code |
88xxx to 91xxx |
| Calling code |
087 (Inner District)
088 (Kota Kinabalu & Kudat)
089 (Lahad Datu, Sandakan & Tawau) |
| Vehicle registration |
SA,SAA,SAB (Kota
Kinabalu & Kota
Belud)
SB (Beaufort)
SD (Lahad Datu)
SK
(Kudat)
SS (Sandakan)
ST (Tawau)
SU (Keningau) |
| Former name |
North Borneo |
| Brunei
Sultanate |
16th century |
| Sulu
Sultanate |
1658 |
| British North Borneo |
1882 |
| Japanese
occupation |
1941-1945 |
| British Crown Colony |
1946 |
| Accession into Malaysia |
16 September 1963 |
| Website |
sabah.gov.my |
History
The region of
present-day Sabah was discovered by Europeans around the early 16th
century. This was during the period when the Sultanate was in its
'golden era'. The region was known as Sava to Portuguese explorers. In
1658 the Sultan of Brunei ceded the northeast portion of Borneo to the
Sultan of Sulu in compensation for the latter's help in settling a
civil war in the Brunei Sultanate. In 1761 an officer of the British
East India Company, Alexander Dalrymple, concluded an agreement with
the Sultan of Sulu to allow him to set up a trading post in the region.
This, together with other attempts to build a settlement and a military
station centering around Pulau Balambangan, proved to be a failure.
There was minimal foreign interest in this region afterward and control
over most parts of north Borneo seems to have remained under the
Sultanate of Brunei. The southern portion of Palawan was once part of
Sabah, due to Palawan's proximity to Borneo. Southern portions of the
island were under the control of the Sultanate of Borneo for more than
two centuries, and Islam was introduced. During the same period, trade
relations flourished, and intermarriages among the natives and Chinese,
Japanese, Arab, and Hindu peoples became commonplace. The intermixing
of blood resulted in a distinct breed of Palaweños, both in physical
stature and features. In 1749, the Sultanate of Borneo ceded southern
Palawan to Spain.
In 1865 the
American Consul of Brunei, Claude Lee Moses, obtained a 10-year lease
over North Borneo from the Sultan of Brunei. Ownership was then passed
to an American trading company owned by J.W. Torrey, T.B. Harris and
some Chinese merchants. They set up a base and settlement in Kimanis
but this too failed due to financial reasons. The rights of the trading
company were then sold to Baron Von Overbeck, the Austrian Consul in
Hong Kong, and he later obtained another 10-year renewal of the lease.
The rights were subsequently transferred to Alfred Dent, whom in 1881
formed the British North Borneo Provisional Association Ltd.
In the
following year, the British North Borneo Company was formed and Kudat
was made its capital. In 1883 the capital was moved to Sandakan to
capitalise on its potential of vast timber resources. In 1888 North
Borneo became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. Administration and
control over North Borneo remained in the hands of the Company despite
being a protectorate and they effectively ruled until 1942. Their rule
had been generally peaceful except for some rebellions, including one
led by the Bajau leader Mat Salleh from 1894 to 1900,[5] and another
led by Antanum[6] of the Muruts which is known as the Rundum resistance
in 1915.
Second World War and the road to
independence
From 1942 to
1945 during the Second World War, Japanese forces occupied
North Borneo. The Japanese forces landed in Labuan on January 1, 1942,
and continued to invade the rest of North Borneo. Bombings by the
allied forces devastated most towns including Sandakan, which was
razed
to the ground. Resistance forces against Japanese occupation were
concentrated on the west and north coast of North Borneo. The
resistance in Jesselton was led by Albert Kwok and Jules Stephens of
the Kinabalu Guerillas. Another resistance was led by Panglima Alli
from Sulug Island, off the coast of Jesselton. In Kudat, there was also
some resistance led by Tun Datu Mustapha. On October 10, 1943, the
Kinabalu Guerrillas together with followers of Panglima Alli staged a
surprise attack on the Japanese. The attack however was foiled. The 324
local residents who participated in the attacks, including Albert Kwok
and Panglima Alli, were detained in Petagas and later executed on
January 21, 1944.[8] The site of the execution is today known as the
Petagas War Memorial.
In Sandakan there was
once a brutal POW camp run by the Japanese for
British and Australian POWs from North Borneo. The prisoners suffered
in agony in their first year of captivity under notoriously inhuman
conditions, but much worse was to come through the forced marches of
January, March and June 1945 (refer to Sandakan Memorial Park
WWII POW
Museum Records). Allied bombardments caused the Japanese to relocate
the POW camp to inland Ranau, 260 km away. All the prisoners, who by
then were reduced to 2504 in number, were to be moved, but instead of
transport, were forced to march the infamous " Sandakan-Ranau Death
March" route. Sickness, disease, exhaustion, thirst, hunger, whipping,
and shooting killed most of the prisoners, except for six Australians
who successfully escaped, were never caught, and survived to tell the
horrific story of the death march. The fallen of this march are
commemorated each year on Anzac Day (Memorial Day) in Australia and in Sandakan, at the
original POW campsite where a POW hut style museum and
a black marble memorial obelisk monument are nestled in a peaceful park
setting with a lily pond.
When Japan
surrendered at the end of the war, North Borneo was
administered by the British Military Administration and in 1946 it
became a British Crown Colony. Jesselton was chosen to replace Sandakan
as the capital. The Crown continued to rule North Borneo until 1963. On
31 August 1963 North Borneo attained self-government. There was a call
for complete independence on that date by it was denied by the British
Governor who remained in power until Malaysia Day.[9] The
intention had
been to form Malaysia
on 31 August but due to objection from the
Philippines and Indonesia, the formation had to be postponed to
September 16.[citation needed] On 16 September 1963, North Borneo
together with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore formed the Federation of Malaysia and from then
on, it became known as Sabah and declared
independent from British sovereignty.[7][10] To safeguard the interest
of North Borneo in the new federation, a 20-point agreement was entered
into between the federal and the state government.
Philippine claim
The Sultanate
of Sulu was granted the north-eastern part of the
territory as a prize for helping the Sultan of Brunei against his
enemies and from then on that part of Borneo was recognized as part of
the Sultan of Sulu's sovereignty. In 1878, Baron Von Overbeck, an
Austrian partner representing The British North Borneo Company and his
British partner Alfred Dent, leased the territory of Sabah. In return,
the company was to provide arms to the Sultan to resist the Spaniards
and 5,000 Malayan dollars annual rental based on the Mexican dollar's
value at that time or its equivalent in gold. This lease was continued
until the independence and formation of the Malaysian federation in
1963 together with Singapore, Sarawak and the states of Malaya. As of
2004, the Malaysian Embassy to the Philippines had been paying
cession/rental money amounting to US$1,500 per year (about 6,300
Malaysian Ringgits) to the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu.
The contract
between Sri Paduka Maulana Al Sultan Mohammad Jamalul
Alam, representing the sultanate as owner and sovereign of Sabah on one
hand, and that of Gustavus Baron de Overbeck and Alfred Dent
representing the North Borneo Company, on the other as lessees of
Sabah, was executed on 22 January 1878. The Lease prohibits the
transfer of Sabah to any nation, company or individual without the
consent of His Majesty’s Government (“Government of the Sultan of
Sulu”).[11]
Less than a
decade later, the Sultanate of Sulu came under the control
of Spain and in 1885, Spain relinquished all of its claim to Borneo to
the British in the Madrid Protocol of 1885.[12] In spite of that, in
1906 and 1920 the United States formally reminded United Kingdom that
Sabah did not belong to them and was still part of the Sultanate of
Sulu on the premise that Spain never acquired sovereignty over North
Borneo to transfer all its claims of sovereignty over North Borneo to
the United Kingdom on the Madrid Protocol of 1885. This is so because
the Sultan of Sulu did not include his territory and dominion in North
Borneo in signing the treaty of 1878 recognizing the Spanish
sovereignty over “Jolo and its dependencies.”.[citation needed] North
Borneo was never considered a dependency of Jolo.[citation needed]
However, the British Government ignored the reminder and still annexed
the territory of North Borneo as a Crown Colony on 10 July 1946. This
was in spite of the fact that the British Government was aware of the
decision made by the High Court of North Borneo on 19 December 1939,
that the successor of the Sultan in the territory of Sabah was the
Government of the Philippines and not United Kingdom.[13]
On 12
September 1962, during President Diosdado Macapagal's
administration, the territory of North Borneo, and the full
sovereignty, title and dominion over the territory were ceded by the
then reigning Sultan of Sulu, HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I, to
the Republic of the Philippines.[14] The cession effectively gave the
Philippine government the full authority to pursue their claim in
international courts. The Philippines broke diplomatic relations with Malaysia after the
federation had included Sabah in 1963. It was
revoked in 1989 because succeeding Philippine administrations have
placed the claim on the backburner in the interest of pursuing cordial
economic and security relations with Kuala Lumpur.[15]
Demographics
The
population of Sabah was 2,449,389 in 2000[20] and was the third
most populous state in Malaysia
after Selangor and Johor. It is
estimated that Sabah's population has exceeded that of Johor with an
estimated population of 3,400,000 in 2007.[21] Sabah indeed has one of
the highest population growth rates in the country as a result of
illegal immigration from the Muslim-dominated southern provinces of
Philippines.
- Kadazan-Dusun: 17.8%
- Rungus
- Bajau: 13.4%
- Malay: 11.5%
- Murut: 3.3%
- Other bumiputra: 14.6%
- Chinese (majority Hakka): 13.2%
- Other non-bumiputra: 4.8%
- Non-Malaysian citizen: 25%
Ethnicities and religion
Statistics of
religion by state are not provided by the Department of
Statistics Malaysia.
Sabah is home to the second highest proportion of
Christians (Roman Catholic and Protestant) in Malaysia, behind that
of
Sarawak. In 2000, its religious breakdown was as follows: Islam 63.7%,
Christianity 27.8%, Buddhism 12%, no religion 1.0%, Taoism/Confucianism
0.4%, Others 0.3%, Hinduism 0.1%, unknown 0.3%.
The people of
Sabah are divided into 32 officially recognised ethnic
groups. The largest non-bumiputra ethnic group is the Chinese. The
predominant Chinese dialect group in Sabah is Hakka, followed by
Cantonese and Hokkien. Most Chinese people in Sabah are concentrated in
the major cities and towns, namely Kota Kinabalu,
Sandakan
and Tawau.
The largest indigenous ethnic group is Kadazan-Dusun, followed by
Bajau, and Murut. There is a much smaller proportion of Indians and
other South Asians in Sabah compared to other parts of Malaysia. Cocos
people is a minority ethnic residing in Sabah especially at the Tawau
Division. Collectively, all persons coming from Sabah are known as
Sabahans and identify themselves as such.
Malay (Bahasa
Malaysia)
is the national language spoken across
ethnicities, although the spoken Sabahan dialect of Malay differs much
in inflection and intonation from the West Malaysian version. The
Sabahan accent of Malay is actually what 'Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka'
endorses, which is Baku. English, Mandarin as well as Hakka and
Cantonese are widely understood. In addition, Kadazan-Dusun, Bajau,
Murut and other smaller groups also have distinct ethnic languages.
Sabah also has its own unique slang for many words in Malay.
Sabah demography consists of many ethnic groups, for example:
- Kadazan-Dusun
- Malay
- Kwijau
- Murut
- Bajau
- Illanun[22]
- Lotud
- Rungus
- Tambanuo
- Dumpas
- Mangka'ak
- Suluk
- Orang Sungai
- Brunei
- Kedayan
- Bisaya
- Tidong
- Maragang
- Orang Cocos
- Paitan
- Ida'an
- Minokok
- Bisaya (Philippines)
- Tagalog
- Chavacano
- Rumanau
- Sabah born Chinese (Malaysian)
- Sabah born Chinese with mixed indigenous
parentage Example: Bumiputra Sino Kadazan etc.
- Lun Bawang
- Other inhabitants:
- Filipino born Sabahan (Malaysian)-
Chavacano,Visaya,Ilocano,Suluk,Badjao,Iranun,Tausug
- Indonesian born Sabahan (Malaysian)-
Bugis,Jawa,Timoris,Banjar
- Pakistani born Sabahan (Malaysian)-
Punjabi,Pastun
- Cocos born Sabahan (Malaysian)- Cocos
- [Burmese/Myramar born Sabahan
(Malaysian)- Burmese]
- Nepal born Sabahan (Malaysian)- Nepal
Gurkha
- Indian born Sabahan (Malaysian)-
Punjabi,Tamil
- Sarawakian indigenous Malaysian -
Iban,Penan,Dayak
- Portuguese & Dutch descendant
(Malaysian)- Serani, Belanda
- Peninsular Malay,Chinese,Indian
Economy
Sabah's
economy was traditionally heavily dependent on lumber based on
export of tropical timber, but with increasing depletion at an alarming
rate of the natural forests, ecological efforts to save the remaining
natural rainforest areas were done in early 1982 through forest
conservation methods by collecting seeds of different species
particularly acacia mangium and planting it to pilot project areas
pioneered by the Sandakan
Forest Research Institute researchers,
however, palm oil has emerged as a choice of farmers to plant as a cash
crop. Other agricultural products important in the Sabah economy
include rubber and cacao. Tourism is currently the second largest
contributor to the economy. There are other exports like seafood and
vegetables.
In 1970,
Sabah ranked as one of the richest states in the federation,
with a per capita GDP second only to Selangor (which then included
Kuala Lumpur).[23] However, despite its vast wealth of natural
resources, Sabah is currently the poorest of Malaysia's states. Average
incomes are now among the lowest in Malaysia, and with a
considerably
higher cost of living than in West Malaysia. In 2000
Sabah had an
unemployment rate of 5.6 per cent, the highest of any Malaysian state
and almost twice the national average of 3.1 per cent. The state has
the highest poverty level in the country at 16 per cent, more than
three times the national average. Due to the lack of industry that can
provide jobs for professional and highly skilled workforce, large
numbers of Sabahan's have literally migrated or practically moved out
to either to Peninsular Malaysia,
Singapore, Australia and USA. Part of
the problem is the inequitable distribution of wealth between state and
federal governments, and large numbers of illegal immigrants from
Indonesia, the Philippines, even from China and East Timor, whose
population was estimated to be in the region of half a million people.
Due to huge tracks of land that has been cultivated with palm oil, the
industry is not fully mechanized and it is highly dependent towards
immigrants with work pass and illegals. In 2004 the poverty level
worsened to 22 per cent.[24] However the state government with the
assistance from the Federal government and active participation of UN
and the governments where the illegal immigrants originated, steps has
been taken and slowly Sabah is overcoming the crises.
The recent
tabling of the Ninth Malaysia
Plan has allocated RM16.908
billion for Sabah, the second highest state allocation after Sarawak's
but it is still only 8% of the total national budget for a population
of Sabah of more than 13%, and an area of more than 25%. This is
clearly discriminatory and has contributed to the State of Sabah having
the largest number of people below the poverty line in Malaysia, and
lower than the Indonesian national poverty rate and in the same level
as Aceh and Myanmar based on 2004 United Nations
figures.[24][25][26][27]
The fund is
pledged to improve the state's rural areas, improve the
state's transportation and utilities infrastructures, and boost the
economy of Sabah. The government has placed its focus on three major
areas of the economy which have the potential to be Sabah's growth
engine. These are agriculture, manufacturing and tourism.
When this
discriminatory budget against Sabah and Sarawak was pointed
out, the allocation for Sabah was increased from the earlier figure of
15.7 billion RM while there is none for Sarawak. The reason given to
Sarawak's Chief Minister, as reported by Borneo Post (11 November 2007)
is that it is not economical to develop Sarawak. Sarawak is to be the
source of renewable resources for Malaya. This situation applies to
Sabah as well except that Sarawak's renewable resources are not even
meant for Sabah. The percentage of the total budget is still much less
than Sabah's population and area burdens.
Tourism
Tourism,
particularly eco-tourism, is a major contributor to the
economy of Sabah. In 2006, 2,000,000 tourists visited Sabah[30] and it
is estimated that the number will continue to rise following vigorous
promotional activities by the state and national tourism boards and
also increased stability and security in the region. Sabah currently
has six national parks. One of these, the Kinabalu National Park, was
designated as a World Heritage Site in 2000. It is the first[31] of two
sites in Malaysia
to obtain this status, the other being the Gunung
Mulu National Park in Sarawak. These parks are maintained and
controlled by Sabah Parks under the Parks Enactment 1984. The Sabah
Wildlife Department also has conservation, utilization, and management
responsibilities.
National Parks
- Mount Kinabalu Park -
the highest mountain in Southeast Asia with an altitude of 4,101 metres
(13,455 ft). It is lower than Puncak Jaya in Irian Jaya on the island
of New Guinea, Indonesia at 4,884 metres which is located outside of
the South East Asia Region.
- Turtle Islands Park - conservation efforts for
endangered sea turtles
- Tunku Abdul Rahman Park - A national park consisting of
five islands off the coast of Kota Kinabalu
- Sipadan Park - Located near Semporna, the oceanic island
of Sipadan has a very rich underwater ecosystem.
- Pulau Tiga Park
- Crocker Range Park
- Tawau Hills Park
Arts and entertainment
Reality TV
Sabahan
contestants attained many finalist spots and even won major reality TV
show contests. This phenomenon is probably due to many hidden Sabahan
talents finally uncovered through Reality TV.
- One in a
Million: Ayu (OIAM2 winner), Esther (1st runner-up OIAM3)
- Akademi
Fantasia finalist: Norlinda Nanuwil & Adam - AF2, Felix Agus &
Marsha Milan Londoh - AF3, Velvet & Lotter - AF4, Candy & Ebi -
AF5, Stacy the AF6/1st Sabahan champion, Adira - AF8
- Gang Starz:
E-Voke (season 1 semi-finalist), One Nation Emcees (season 2 winner)
- Blast-Off: Jiaja (season 2 winner)
- Mentor: Pija
(winner season 1), Fiq (winner season 2), Chaq (finalist season 3)
- Raja Lawak:
Kechik (winner season 4), Alex (3rd place season 4)
- Reality TV
stars (non-finalist): Nikki Palikat (Malaysian Idol), Mas (AF2), Yazer
(AF3), Nora (AF4), Farha & Noni (AF5), Rubisa & Zizi (AF7), AB
& Mark Malim & Shone (OIAM2), Ema & Anum & Ain (AF8)
- Love Me Do: Kelvin Teo (season 1 winner)
Movies & TV
The earliest
known footage of Sabah comes from two movies by Martin and Osa Johnson
titled 'Jungle Depths of Borneo' and 'Borneo'.
Sabah's first
homegrown film was Orang Kita, starring Abu Bakar Ellah.
Some films
and TV shows filmed in Sabah include the reality show Survivor: Borneo,
The Amazing Race, Eco-Challenge Borneo, films Bat*21, as well as a
number of Hong Kong production films such as Born Rich. Sabah was also
featured in Sacred Planet, a documentary hosted by Robert Redford.
Dances
There are
many types of traditional dances in Sabah, most notably:
- Daling-daling:
Danced by Bajaus and Suluks . In its original form, it was a dance
which combined Arabic belly dancing and the Indian dances common in
this region, complete with long artificial finger nails and golden head
gear accompanied by a Bajau and Suluk song called daling-daling which
is a love story. Its main characteristic is the large hip and breast
swings but nowadays it is danced with a faster tempo but less swings,
called Igal-igal by the Bajau from Semporna District.
- Sumazau:
Kadazandusun traditional dance which performed during weddings and
Kaamatan festival. The dance form is akin to a couple of birds flying
together.
- Magunatip:
Famously known as the Bamboo dance, requires highly skilled dancers to
perform. Native dance of the Muruts, but can also be found in different
forms and names in South East Asia.
Sports
Matlan Marjan
is a former football player for Malaysia. He scored
two
goals against England in an international friendly on June 12, 1991.
The English team included Stuart Pearce, David Batty, David Platt,
Nigel Clough, Gary Lineker, was captained by Bryan Robson and coached
by Bobby Robson.[34] No other Malaysian player managed to achieve
this.[citation needed] In 1995, he along with six other Sabah players,
were arrested on suspicion of match-fixing. Although the charges were
dropped, he was prevented from playing professional football and was
banished to another district.[35][36] He was punished under the
Internal Security Act (which allows for indefinite detention without
any trial, despite being proven innocent, and even on non-security
related issues).
Showbiz
Sabah has
produced a fair number of well-known media figures. With the
advent of Satellite TV in Malaysia, Sabah
produced more breakthrough
artist compared to 4 decades before.
- Actors:
Marsha Milan Londoh, Farid Amirul
Hisham('Gerak Khas' as Lim), Fung Bo Bo, Chung Shuk Wai, Tony Francis
Gitom (filmmaker)
- Broadcasting:
Daphne Iking, Kamaruddin Mape, Farish Aziz
- Radio Disc
Jockey: Maryanne
Raymond(Mary), Constantine Anthony(Constantine), Shahrizan Ferouz(The
Shaz), Fadhil bin Luqman(Fad Da Dillio); all from TraXX FM. DJ Johnboy
Lee of hitz.fm, DJ Othoe of Suria FM
- Modelling: Guess model Amber Chia
- Musicians
& Composers: Guitarist Roger Wang, Composer Julfekar and Asmin Mudin
- Singers:
Nazrey Johani of Raihan, Azharina Azhar, Peter Dicky Lee, Pete Teo,
Jerome Kugan, Mia Palencia, Yan Qing, Gary Cao
- Band &
Groups: JIAJA , E-Voke, One Nation Emcees, B.A.D. Boys, Lotter &
Divine Masters, Richael Gimbang with Estranged
- Highly Acclaimed International Furniture
Designer: TL Bong
- Internet Star/Internet Celebrity:
Abangben & Moonboy (Melbourne Shuffle)
- International Artists: Chenelle
From: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Geography
Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Malaysia.
The western
part of Sabah is generally mountainous, containing the
three highest mountains in Malaysia. The most
prominent range is the
Crocker Range which houses several mountains of varying height from
about 1,000 metres to 4,000 metres. At the height of 4,095 metres,
Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in South East Asia . The jungles
of Sabah are classified as rainforests and host a diverse array of
plant and animal species. Kinabalu National Park was inscribed as a
World Heritage Site in 2000 because of its richness in plant diversity
combined with its unique geological, topographical, and climatic
conditions.[16]
Lying nearby
Mount Kinabalu is Mount Tambuyukon. At a height of 2,579
metres, it is the third highest peak in the country. Adjacent to the
Crocker Range is the Trus Madi Range which houses the second highest
peak in the country, Mount Trus Madi, at a height of 2,642 metres.
There are lower ranges of hills extending towards the western coasts,
southern plains, and the interior or central part of Sabah. These
mountains and hills are traversed by an extensive network of river
valleys and are in most cases covered with dense rainforest.
The central and eastern portion of Sabah are generally lower mountain
ranges and plains with occasional hills. Kinabatangan River begins from
the western ranges and snakes its way through the central region
towards the east coast out into the Sulu Sea. It is the second longest
river in Malaysia
after Rejang River at a length of 560 kilometres. The
forests surrounding the river valley also contains an array of wildlife
habitats, and is the largest forest-covered floodplain in Malaysia.[17]
The northern tip of Borneo at Tanjung
Simpang Mengayau
Other
important wildlife regions in Sabah include Maliau Basin, Danum
Valley, Tabin, Imbak Canyon and Sepilok. These places are either
designated as national parks, wildlife reserves, virgin jungle
reserves, or protection forest reserve.
Over three
quarters of the human population inhabit the coastal plains.
Major towns and urban centers have sprouted along the coasts of Sabah.
The interior region remains sparsely populated with only villages, and
the occasional small towns or townships.
Beyond the coasts of Sabah lie a number of islands and coral reefs,
including the largest island in Malaysia, Pulau
Banggi. Other large
islands include, Pulau Jambongan, Pulau Balambangan, Pulau Timbun Mata,
Pulau Bumbun, and Pulau Sebatik. Other popular islands mainly for
tourism are, Pulau Sipadan, Pulau Selingan, Pulau Gaya, Pulau Tiga, and
Pulau Layang-Layang.
Government
State government structure
Administrative divisions and districts of
Sabah
Sabah is a
representative democracy with universal suffrage for all
citizens above 21 years of age. However, legislation regarding state
elections are within the powers of the federal government and not the
state. The Yang di-Pertua Negeri sits at the top of the hierarchy
followed by the state legislative assembly and the state cabinet. The
Yang di-Pertuan Negeri is officially the head of state however its
functions are largely ceremonial. The chief minister is the head of
government and is also the leader of the state cabinet. The legislature
is based on the Westminster system and therefore the chief minister is
appointed based on his or her ability to command the majority of the
state assembly. A general election representatives in the state
assembly must be held every five years. This is the only elected
government body in the state, with local authorities being fully
appointed by the state government owing to the suspension of local
elections by the federal government. The assembly meets at the state
capital, Kota
Kinabalu. Members of the state assembly are elected from
60 constituencies which are delineated by the Election Commission of Malaysia and may not
necessarily result in constituencies of same voter
population sizes. Sabah is also represented in the federal parliament
by 25 members elected from the same number of constituencies.
The present
elected state and federal government posts are held by
Barisan Nasional (BN), a coalition of parties which includes United
Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP),
United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO), Parti
Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Liberal
Democratic Party (LDP), and Malaysian Chinese Association
(MCA).[citation needed]
The last state election was in 2004 and as of 2006, the state
legislature has 60 members. It comprises 59 BN state legislature
members (Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri) and a single independent. Of this,
32 are from UMNO, 13 from PBS, 5 from UPKO, 4 from the SAPP, 3 from
LDP, and one each from MCA and PBRS.[18]
The political climate
Prior to the
formation of Malaysia
in 1963, the then North Borneo
interim government submitted a 20-point agreement to the Malayan
government as conditions before Sabah would join the Federation. Sabah
entered Malaysia as
an autonomous state with a Christian Kadazan-Dusun
chief minister, but soon succumbed to Kuala Lumpur's vision of a
one-party unitary Islamic state dominated by the indigenous Muslim
Bajau and Brunei Malay people. This has created considerable friction
and even occasional calls for secession. These tensions are further
inflamed by Kuala Lumpur's colonial mentality towards Sabah, wherein
95% of the profits from Sabah's immense natural resources are taken by
the federal government, leaving the state government with only 5%.
Aside from nominally separate immigration controls, little evidence
remains of Sabah's theoretical autonomy.[citation needed]
Until the
Malaysian general election, 2008, Sabah, along with the
states of Kelantan and Terengganu, are the only three states in Malaysia that had ever
been ruled by opposition parties not part of the
ruling BN coalition. Led by Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, PBS
formed government after winning the 1985 elections and ruled Sabah
until 1994. Due to certain internal troubles, BN took over the
government in 1994 despite PBS winning the elections. PBS subsequently
joined the BN coalition in 2002.[citation needed]
A unique
feature of Sabah politics was a policy initiated by the BN in
1994 whereby the chief minister's post is rotated among the coalition
parties every 2 years regardless of the party in power at the time,
thus theoretically giving an equal amount of time for each major ethnic
group to rule the state. This extremely weakens the executive branch of
the state government, which was formerly much at odds with the federal
government in Kuala Lumpur. It also serves to give a disproportionate
power to the indigenous Muslim Bajau ethnic group, at the expense of
the mainly Christian indigenous Kadazan-Dusun, the largest ethnic
group. This practice has since stopped with power now held by majority
in the state assembly by the UMNO party, which also holds a majority in
the national parliament.[citation needed]
There has
been a conspiracy theory that the chief minister post
rotation system was implemented to allow UMNO to control the post
permanently by abolishing the whole system once it was UMNO's turn to
hold the post. It has never been proven but it is considered impossible
for UMNO to get a hold of the post through any other method. The
conspiracy theory was brought up once again when a division from UMNO
proposed to implement the same rotation system in Penang, when it was
under BN rule. It was one of the two states which were not controlled
by UMNO but was under BN rule (the other state being Sarawak). The
proposal was raised even though UMNO abolished the system in Sabah by
declaring it a failure.[citation needed]
UMNO had a
quick rise to power since its entry into Sabah in 1991 where
before that both eastern Malaysian states were not penetrated by the
party, whose president is the de facto leader of the ruling coalition
BN and automatically the Prime Minister of Malaysia. This has
given
rise to dissent as the chief minister rotation system was halted just
as UMNO was holding the post. Thus the 2004 general elections saw
widespread disillusionment, coupled with an ineffectual opposition. The
state assembly is now dominated by the ruling party BN with only one
seat held by an opposition politician who is an independent candidate.
This was caused by a general sentiment where a number of voters were
reluctant to cast votes for BN whose victory was almost assured but did
not trust the opposition parties, most of which were not vigorously
active before the election. Therefore many cast votes for independent
candidates.[citation needed]
Sabah politics, as are Malaysia's, is very much based upon party lines.
An effort by PBS, a component party of BN, to hatch a co-operation with
the one opposition candidate within the state assembly, who conversely
was a former UMNO member competing independently because he was not
nominated for the constituency by his party, in an unprecedented
attempt at bipartisanship, was harshly criticized by UPKO, another
component party of BN.
Chief Ministers of Sabah
Year
Chief Minister
1963-1964
Tun Fuad Stephens
1965-1967
Datuk Peter Lo Sui Yin
1967-1975
Tun Mustapha Datu Harun
1975-1976
Tun Said Keruak
1976 (44
days)
Tun Fuad Stephens
1976-1985
Datuk Harris Mohd Salleh
1985-1994
Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan
1994-1995
Tun Sakaran Dandai
1995-1996
Datuk Salleh Tun Said Keruak
1996-1998
Datuk Yong Teck Lee
1998-1999
Tan Sri Bernard Dompok (now
UPKO)
1999-2001
Datuk Seri Osu Haji Sukam
2001-2003
Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat
2003–present
Datuk Seri Musa Aman
Administrative divisions
Sabah
consists of five administrative divisions, which are in turn divided
into 24 districts.
These administrative divisions are, for all purposes, just for
reference. During the British rule until the transition period when Malaysia was formed, a
Resident was appointed to govern each division
and provided with a palace (Istana). This means that the British
considered each of these divisions equivalent to a Malayan state. The
post of the Resident was abolished in favour of district officers for
each of the district.
Local Government
As in the rest of Malaysia,
local government comes under the purview of
state governments[citation needed]. However, ever since the suspension
of local government elections in the midst of the Malaysian Emergency,
which was much less intense in Sabah than it was in the rest of the
country, there have been no local elections. Local authorities have
their officials appointed by the executive council of the state
government.
Urban centers and ports
There are currently 7 ports in Sabah: Kota Kinabalu
Port, Sepanggar Bay
Container Port, Sandakan
Port, Tawau Port, Kudat Port, Kunak Port, and
Lahad Datu Port. These ports are operated and maintained by Sabah Ports
Authority.[28] The major towns and city are:
Rank
City Population
1
Kota Kinabalu 532,129
2
Sandakan
448,074
3
Tawau
349,962
4
Lahad Datu
119,938
5
Keningau
97,152
6
Sempurna
71,157
7
Kudat
34,481
Notable Sabahans
Politics and governance
Mat Salleh
was a Bajau leader who led a rebellion against British North
Borneo Company administration in North Borneo. Under his leadership,
the rebellion which lasted from 1894 to 1900 razed the British
Administration Centre on Pulau Gaya and exercised control over
Menggatal, Inanam, Ranau and Tambunan. The rebellion was by Bajaus,
Dusuns and Muruts.[5]
Antanum or
Antanom (full name Ontoros Antonom) (1885–1915) was a famous
and influential Murut warrior who led the chiefs and villagers from
Keningau, Tenom, Pensiangan and Rundum to start the Rundum uprising
against the British North Borneo Company but was killed during fighting
with the company army in Sungai Selangit near Pensiangan.
Another
notable Sabahan is Donald Stephens who helped form the state of
Sabah under the UN appointed Cobbold commission. He was an initial
opponent of Malaysia
but was persuaded by Lee Kuan Yew with an offer of
8 university places for Sabahan students at the University of Malaya,
Singapore[citation needed].
Donald
Stephens was the first Huguan Siou or paramount leader of the
Kadazan-dusun and Murut people.
Tun Datu
Mustapha was a Bajau-Kagayan-Suluk Muslim political leader in
Sabah through the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) party.[9]
He was a vocal supporter of Malaysia but fell out
of favor with Malayan
leaders despite forming UMNO branches in Saba and deregistering USNO.
Efforts to reregister USNO have not been allowed, unlike UMNO that was
allowed to be reregistered under the same name.[33][citation needed]
Former Chief
Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan is the current Huguan Siou
and the President of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). Pairin, the longest
serving chief minister of the state and one of the first Kadazandusun
lawyers, was known for his defiance of the federal government in the
1980s and 90s in promoting the rights of Sabah and speaking out against
the illegal immigration problems. Sabah was at the time one of only two
states with opposition governments in power, the other being Kelantan.
PBS has since rejoined BN and Datuk Pairin is currently the Deputy
Chief Minister of Sabah.
The 8th and
current Attorney General of Malaysia, Abdul Gani
Patail, comes from Sabah.
In 2006,
Penampang-born Richard Malanjum was appointed Chief Judge of
Sabah and Sarawak and became the first Kadazandusun to hold such a post.
Datuk Hj.
Railey bin Hj. Jeffery was the first and well-known Cocos
political leader. He was the Deputy Information Minister and the JKR
Deputy Minister in the 1990s.
Hons. Penny Wong was the well known Sabah born appointed as Australian
Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water. She's born in
Kota Kinabalu
(1968) before moving to Australia in age 5.
Notable Sabahans
Politics and governance
Mat Salleh
was a Bajau leader who led a rebellion against British North
Borneo Company administration in North Borneo. Under his leadership,
the rebellion which lasted from 1894 to 1900 razed the British
Administration Centre on Pulau Gaya and exercised control over
Menggatal, Inanam, Ranau and Tambunan. The rebellion was by Bajaus,
Dusuns and Muruts.[5]
Antanum or
Antanom (full name Ontoros Antonom) (1885–1915) was a famous
and influential Murut warrior who led the chiefs and villagers from
Keningau, Tenom, Pensiangan and Rundum to start the Rundum uprising
against the British North Borneo Company but was killed during fighting
with the company army in Sungai Selangit near Pensiangan.
Another
notable Sabahan is Donald Stephens who helped form the state of
Sabah under the UN appointed Cobbold commission. He was an initial
opponent of Malaysia
but was persuaded by Lee Kuan Yew with an offer of
8 university places for Sabahan students at the University of Malaya,
Singapore[citation needed].
Donald
Stephens was the first Huguan Siou or paramount leader of the
Kadazan-dusun and Murut people.
Tun Datu
Mustapha was a Bajau-Kagayan-Suluk Muslim political leader in
Sabah through the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) party.[9]
He was a vocal supporter of Malaysia but fell out
of favor with Malayan
leaders despite forming UMNO branches in Saba and deregistering USNO.
Efforts to reregister USNO have not been allowed, unlike UMNO that was
allowed to be reregistered under the same name.[33][citation needed]
Former Chief
Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan is the current Huguan Siou
and the President of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). Pairin, the longest
serving chief minister of the state and one of the first Kadazandusun
lawyers, was known for his defiance of the federal government in the
1980s and 90s in promoting the rights of Sabah and speaking out against
the illegal immigration problems. Sabah was at the time one of only two
states with opposition governments in power, the other being Kelantan.
PBS has since rejoined BN and Datuk Pairin is currently the Deputy
Chief Minister of Sabah.
The 8th and
current Attorney General of Malaysia, Abdul Gani
Patail, comes from Sabah.
In 2006,
Penampang-born Richard Malanjum was appointed Chief Judge of
Sabah and Sarawak and became the first Kadazandusun to hold such a post.
Datuk Hj.
Railey bin Hj. Jeffery was the first and well-known Cocos
political leader. He was the Deputy Information Minister and the JKR
Deputy Minister in the 1990s.
Hons. Penny Wong was the well known Sabah born appointed as Australian
Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water. She's born in
Kota Kinabalu
(1968) before moving to Australia in age 5.
Publishing
Sabah's first established
newspaper was the New
Sabah Times. The newspaper was founded by Tun Fuad Stephens, who later
became the first Chief Minister of Sabah.
American author Agnes Newton Keith lived in Sandakan between
1934–1952
and wrote several books about Sabah. Sabah was also the main location
for the filming of the 1937 American documentary based on the
adventures of Martin and Osa Johnson titled Borneo.
In the Earl Mac Rauch novelization of Buckaroo Banzai (Pocket Books,
1984; repr. 2001), and in the DVD commentary, Buckaroo's archenemy
Hanoi Xan is said to have his secret base in Sabah, in a "relic city of
caves."
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