SEJAHTERA MENGKABONG

INSIGHT SABAH : The Voice Of Sabahan

Housing and schooling

Wan Ahmad Syarien, 11, and Firdaus Irwan (right), 12, have welfare money in their savings accounts.

But an 80m-ringgit village facelift raises concern over truancy
By Ng Jia Xiang

Firdaus Irwan, 12, isn’t sure what he would do with the 200 ringgit ($64) of welfare aid. It’s in his bank savings account and so it will stay there, he says. He is one of 400 poor pupils in Tuaran who are given 130,050 ringgit a year under three government welfare schemes. He spends one ringgit a day to hitch a ride on a truck to school and back to his house in Tuaran town, about 3km from Sekolah Rendah Mengkabong.

Mrs.Nuridah Kadom : school principal of Sekolah Rendah Mengkabong.

But many of his school mates couldn't go to school because they couldn't pay bus fares. Teachers of the primary school complain of high absenteeism among the 657 pupils because most of the villagers are staying at Taman Sri Rugading, a temporary shelter 9km away.

YB.Hajiji Noor : minister of local government and housing &
Mrs.Tah Niah Jeman : Tuaran Education Officer

Their 600 rickety wooden houses in the fishing village of Kampung Mengkabong have been torn down to make way for new ones at a cost of 80m ringgit. There will be 1,000 houses; and the villagers will move into them by year end. Half of them have been completed and some of the villagers have already moved into their new homes.

“They get them free,” says Hajiji Noor, minister of local government and housing. “They just have to pay for water and electricity bills.” The three-bedroom houses cost 42,000 ringgit each.

“Truancy has become critical,” says school principal Nuridah Kadom. “Many parents can’t pay the monthly 40-ringgit bus fare to school.” She says her parent-teacher association has been trying to solve this problem, particularly to find ways to help 63 pupils to prepare for their primary six final examinations.

Education officials however say this is only a temporary setback. Tah Niah Jeman, Tuaran Education Officer, recalls the days she walked and swam across the river to go to SK Mengkabong.

“Going to school is so much easier now,” she told parents and pupils at a meeting on August 17. “If I could swim and walk to school, why can’t you?”

New houses at Mengkabong

Hajiji, who gave out financial aid to the pupils, said he faced worse problems of getting to school when he was a boy. “There was no financial help. No buses and no proper roads, and yet we went to school. Being poor and unable to pay for bus fares are not excuses for not going to school.”

The poorer pupils get 450 ringgit of financial aid under the e-kasih scheme while the poorest get 700 ringgit a year which, according to Hajiji, should be more than enough to pay for their school bus fares. – Insight Sabah

– Pictures by Flanegan Bainon

Posted on 15-09-2010 03:04 pm
http://insightsabah.gov.my/article/read/567

Published on: Sunday, March 08, 2009

Tuaran: The village re-structuring project costing RM80 million that will be implemented in Mengkabong at the end of this year is expected to benefit more than 2,500 villagers.

These villagers are those living in Kg Gerinsing, Suang Kumaan, Mempelam, Nelayan, Buansa, Pensurun, Dombi, Separuk, Jembulang and Tambiluk. The earth refilling and flattening works in Suang Kumaan and Gerinsing are currently progressing, which will be followed by Kg Mempelam.

"Some 76 houses and over 100 villagers of Kg Mempelam are now very eager to wait for their turn to move, because the earth refilling and flattening works are currently in progress in both the villages," said Mempelam village chief Haji Kubes Reman, 55.

He said more than 40 villagers of Suang Kumaan and Gerinsing already moved temporarily to the Sri Rugading housing area and would move back again once their houses have completed construction.

It is the second project implemented by the Federal Government in Tuaran after the restructuring of the fishing village in Penimbawan which are also currently in progress since last year.

Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Haji Noor, when briefing the villagers of Kg Mengkabong involved on the benefits, said apart from housing they also stand to benefit the various infrastructures to be provided in the village.

DAILY EXPRESS,INDEPENDENT NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF EAST MALAYSIA,Established since 1963.
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=63377

About : Mengkabong Water Village(Buansa area)& Mengkabong Water Village Primary School Photo.

Introduction :Bajau tribe (Sea Bajau) is the second largest indigenous people of Sabah , known as " Water Gypsy , "said the village is usually the way to the water boat tour Tuaran (Tuaran) near the mangroves, from Kota Kinabalu To be about 30 minutes . This area of about four thousand -odd households , they contented , though not affluent living environment, but able to enjoy the greatest happiness is relaxed .
When you build a boat passing through the wood , the narrow water housing , as well as sweet and innocent children will be waving to you , some will see the rocking boat of the Bajau tribe , they are sprinkled net fishing with one of the original Style. Visitors can personally experience the Bajau fishing family , the boatman will be placed on board the iron a few caught red crab nets, so that we can try fishing the Richangshenghuo rest water .
Address :Kota Kinabalu is located in the east , near Tuaran .
Website
Malaysia Tourism Information
http://tw.travel.yahoo.com/spot/spo3950009984

Lost Borneo for travellers who want to explore beyond the usual tourist attractions
Filed under: *Lost Borneo tours, Adventure, Kota Kinabalu by losttraveller — Leave a comment June 30, 2008

Ratings: **** A unique half-day tour that is relaxing and fun with a bit of nature and culture thrown in.
Lost Ratings: ***** Definitely no big tour groups here.

Sabah is well-known for its white water rafting spots in Padas River and Kiulu River, but a less intimidating form of canoeing can be found at the mouth of the beautiful Mengkabong River. With the backdrop of Mount Kinabalu and the silhouette of houses on stilts above the calm waters, Mengkabong River is the perfect place for a relaxing kayak trip only 45 minutes away from the capital city of Kota Kinabalu. Take a stroll through the water village using the wooden walkways and get to know the friendly inhabitants better. Then get into your kayak and slowly make your way towards the nearby mangrove forest for a rendezvous with nature. You can either participate in the dawn kayak or the night kayak tour. Both tours offer different perspectives of the Mengkabong River. A kayak trip at dawn offers the chance to see the sun rise up from behind Mount Kinabalu and enjoy the fresh morning air. The night kayak tour starts in the evening and ends with the twinkling of fireflies on the mangrove trees in the stillness of the night.

The following is an account of our writer’s trip on the dawn kayak tour.

Sane people do not wake up at 4.30 in the morning to go kayaking. No matter what they tell you about the sun rising earlier in the east, it is still dark at 4.30 a.m. in Sabah. Then again, the purpose of going kayaking so early in the morning is to catch the magnificent sunrise from Mengkabong river, about 45 minutes drive from Kota Kinabalu. I have seen pictures of the sunrise before. Postcards of this sunrise are sold all over town. With the sun rising from behind Mount Kinabalu, the shadows and colours cast on the river is amazing. Now I want to get that picture myself. And if that means waking up at 4.30 a.m., then so be it. Apparently, I was not the only one who’s not sane. Together with me were 3 Japanese – the kayak instructor Sakamoto, another Japanese guy called Daisuke and pretty Kuni. The good thing about a tour like this is you never have to worry about crowds. Unlike in West Malaysia, where daytime starts at 7am, in East Malaysia, it starts to get bright at around 6 a.m. So we would have to depart from Kota Kinabalu before 5 a.m. if we were to get there in time to see the sun rise.

Mengkabong is not just the name of a river, it is also the name of a huge Bajau water village situated on the banks of the river. Our departure point was a house belonging to one of the villagers, an elderly Bajau fisherman whom my kayak instructor calls Pakcik Sai. I felt awkward barging into people’s home so early in the morning, but Sakamoto said it was ok even though he didn’t make any prior arrangements. In fact, there was no proper door, but just a curtain covering the entrance and Sakamoto walked right in like it was his own home. Surprisingly, Pakcik Sai was already awake and he welcomed us warmly. The sun had not risen yet, but some people in Kampung Mengkabong were already up and about. The majority of the villagers of Mengkabong were fishermen and they go out to sea early. According to Pakcik Sai, it used to be even earlier. In the old days before there was public transportation, the fishermen had to walk to the nearby town of Tuaran to sell their catch at the market, so they used to go out to sea at 4 a.m.

Luck was not on our side that day. It was low tide and we couldn’t depart until the water came in. This usually happens about 3 days every month. Not one to let an early morning go to waste, Daisuke and I took a walk around the village. The Bajaus are friendly people. Despite encountering 2 strangers walking around their village at dawn, everyone smiled and greeted us. This could be due to the fact that the Mengkabong River is part of the popular Mangrove Cruise tour in Sabah and quite a lot of foreigners pass by this village by boat. But I don’t think anybody ever comes this early, and not many actually stop at the village. Passing by the village by boat and actually walking inside the village is a different experience all together. Until you are inside, you do not realize how big the village is. We actually got lost. Pakcik Sai said that there are about 3000 people living here. The stilt houses are built above the river and are connected by wooden planks, some only as wide as the soles of my feet put together. But the people here are used to it and the children run along it like professional tightrope-walkers. Meanwhile, I have to watch each step I take in case I fall into the water, or at the time of my visit, mud.

The moment that I’d been waiting for finally came. The silhouette of Mount Kinabalu started getting brighter as the sky behind it turned bright orange. Together with the reflections and shadows of the stilt houses on the water beneath the houses, it made a perfect picture. When we returned to Pakcik Sai’s house, we found Sakamoto sleeping inside. This guy feels totally at home here. He must be the only Japanese Bajau in Sabah. Makcik Sai cooked breakfast for us and we drank thick black coffee and listened to stories by Pakcik while waiting for the tide to come in. With his strong Bajau-Malay accent, I only understood about half of what he said. The Bajaus are the second largest indigenous group in Sabah and are believed to have come from Southern Philippines hundreds of years ago. Like most coastal communities in this region, the Bajaus are Muslims and some still stick to their traditional way of life as fishermen.

Finally, the water came in and we were able to push our kayaks into the river. There are single-seater and two-seater kayaks, and even a family version for those with children. Daisuke and I both got into a single-seater while Kuni shared a kayak with Sakamoto. River kayaking at Mengkabong is simple. Anybody can do it. There are no rapids so it is not like white-water rafting, and there are no waves so it is safer than kayaking at sea. That was a relief to know because I feel as comfortable on water as a fish does on land. Just in case you are wondering, there are no crocodiles and sharks either. Then, there is paddling. Simple instructions are given by our instructor before we got on board. Basically, you hold a paddle in each hand and row. It is almost impossible for you to fall into the river, unless you do it on purpose. And life jackets are provided. Those of you who are lazy might ask, “Why not just take a boat cruise, instead of using my (tiny) arm muscles?” Well, let me put it this way. It’s like a sports event. A boat ride means you’re just watching the game. Kayaking, you’re in the game. So even though your arm muscles might feel sore at the end of the day, there is nothing more exhilarating. More importantly, being in a kayak, we can squeeze into narrow passages in the mangrove jungle that big boats are not able to. Besides, the noise from the engine of a boat takes away some of the thrills of being with nature.

From the water village, we paddled past an island that is the burial ground of the Bajau people. Tied to branches of trees jutting out of the rock were cloths of yellow, red and white. These were gifts to the spirits whenever a wish was granted. We also went past a wooden platform where fish and oysters were being reared.

Finally, we reached the mangrove forest. It was exciting to be this close to the mangrove forest and looking up at the trees from below. The trees provided a cool shade from the sun that was now beginning to make its presence felt. We took a break here before making our way back to the village.

On reaching home, I took a shower and went to bed to make up for waking up so early in the morning. I was tired, but in a nice kind of way.

Tours:
Website in Japanese: http://kayakdeborneo.sakura.ne.jp/
For reservations or information in English,
email losttravels@yahoo.com
or
phone (+6) 012-2233967

Pick-up bus



One of the many forms of transportation in Borneo.
This is the equivalent of a bus in some parts of rural Sabah.

Tags: Sabah transport
Photos by losttraveller -November 16, 2009
http://lostborneo.wordpress.com/category/photos/

Cute kid in water village



Cute kid in water village Mengkabong

Tags: Bajau, Borneo, Mengkabong, Sabah, water village
Photo by Sato Atsuko/losttraveller-October 7, 2009
http://lostborneo.wordpress.com/category/photos/
http://lostborneo.wordpress.com/tag/mengkabong/

Shaunna's Postcrossing & Postcard Addiction
The postcards that I have received over the years, through penpals, swaps and of course, postcrossing. :) And you may notice a lot of fairies and such. I admit it. I'm obsessed. :)

13 MAY 2010- Size: 1060 × 753 - Type: 101KB JPG


"Mengkabong, Malaysian Borneo" - Traditional fishing village While I love water, this would probably be too much - I am the type that would sit on the shore and stare at the water for hours, listen to it come in, play in it - but I could always get out. Here, even the houses are in the water! Thanks Mohamad!
(http://collectionpyowb.blogspot)


Edit: shaunnaf.blogspot.com - Posted by: Shaunna - At:12:00 PM

BORNEO GEOGRAPHIC - Thursday, June 3, 2010

Borneo is very well known for its people and one of these people are Bajau tribes who lives in water village where houses were built on stilt above water. There are still few water village left around Borneo island and some are made it to become one of the tourist attraction. Mengkabong village was once a tourist attraction and now no more. The declining of numbers in tourism has affected the economy of Sabah in 2009 and so to Mengkabong.


An aeriel view of the Mengkabong village two years ago.

About 90% of the village population consist of Bajau tribe and they depending so much on sea of lively hood.


A scene that you will never see again in Mengkabong.

The Mengkabong estuary which has its mangrove forest quickly become tourist attraction. Few wildlife can be seen here which are the Long Tailed Macaque, Smooth Otter, Monitor Lizard and several rare species of birds.


Tourist are so eager to see and learn about the ecosystem that the Mengkabong estuarine had which never to be found in many countries. They are so fascinated on how the mangrove forest contribute so much for the very lives around it. That including the people in the water village.
For the people in village, the modern world had force them to change their way of living.

Above picture show the water houses has been demolish and reclaimation has been done.

New houses was built and change completely the lives of the Bajau People in Mengkabong.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Posted by Jollence Lee

at 11:04 PM 0 comments
Labels: Environment, Tribes and Cultures

http://www.borneogeographic.com/