By Nancy Nais
KUCHING, Oct 2: Vandalism is a terrible act that destroys the beauty and value of things, especially the many wondrous natural sights that Sarawak offers.
While those who commits vandalism may think it is fun and unique to carve their names or words on objects in heritage sights or tourist attractions, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah called it a “disappointing act of irresponsible people”.
Responding to carvings made by people who perhaps intended to leave a “souvenir” at national parks or well known hiking trails, Abdul Karim said, “There are places where people carve words on rocks or plants, and this will hurt and degrade the experience of other visitors. Once you start to vandalise a place, others might follow suit and this will make it worse.”
“Vandalism destroys the natural beauty that should be enjoyed during a visit. The natural, historical, untouched beauty is what makes our national parks a wonderful place to be.
“When vandals commit these acts, it takes away from the wonder of the park and destroys irreplaceable things,” he said during his working visit to Bako National Park and Pulau Lakei today.
Calling for the public to understand and respect nature, he added that there was no need to carve names on rocks or plants, and that the only thing people should take away are memories and photographs.
“When you visit, enjoy them and do no harm. Preserve and protect our nation’s unique natural and cultural heritage,” Abdul Karim said.
Meanwhile, Abdul Karim and several senior officers from the ministry, Sarawak Tourism Board and Sarawak Forestry Corporation visited Bako National Park and Pulai Lakei as Sarawak enters the second day where tourism activities and attractions in the State were allowed to resume operations on Oct 1.
The resumption of operations is subject to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) following the State Disaster Management Committee’s (SDMC) announcement that the state’s southern zone would join the rest of Sarawak in Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan. — DayakDaily
