Sebatik Island

THIS lone coconut tree is supposed to be the marker for the Malaysia-Indonesia border at Kampung Sungai Melayu, Tanjung Syma, in Sebatik Island, near Tawau.

Sebatik Assemblyman Datuk Dr Patawari Patawe is seen in the picture standing under the coconut tree during a recent visit to the area to show just how vital it is for the Government to consider fencing the 39km border on the island

Tawau: The first Mini Estate Sejahtera (Mesej) programme in Sabah will be implemented in Sebatik Island to assist in eradicating poverty, while at the same time stimulate development on the Malaysian side of the island, which is shared with Indonesia.

Sebatik Assemblyman Datuk Dr Patawari Patawe said 350 acres in Sungai Labah had been identified for the purpose where 26 selected participants from the island were given 10 acres each for plantation.

The participants were also given half-an-acre to build their houses and Dr Patawari said they proposed that a portion of the area be developed as kitchen garden, as well.

Speaking after leading a team of scientists to survey the viability of a fishery industry in Cowie Bay fronting the town here, Saturday, he said a technical committee led by the Rural Development Ministry deputy permanent secretary had visited the area recently.

The programme is a Federal-State project that would see SLDB as the agency representing the State in the implementation.

Towards this end, Dr Patawari who is also Warisan Harta Sabah Sdn Bhd Chairman, said several other amenities such as a fully-residential school, community college, health clinic and sports complex, among others, had been proposed for Sebatik to complement the Mesej in the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).

Presently, he said on Sebatik Island itself there is one secondary school and several primary schools but it is timely that a boarding school is set up to give students from around the constituency a better education.

"We have a lot of feeder schools in this area but so far Tawau has no fully-residential school," he said.

The fully-residential school is planned to be set up near the community college health clinic at Sungai Tongkang, which is a 20-minute boat ride from the town here.

Another proposal was a floating restaurant to be set up near the island, which the State Government had given full support for its establishment.

Meanwhile, the feasibility study on the waters at the Cowie Bay was for the proposed fish hatchery, which would see the involvement of villagers to rear fish with a buy-back policy.