/// Exclusive Interview
Lo said, “There wasn’t a significant slowdown in business, but some
countries did put up travel advisories against travelling to Malaysia, so
we had to take measures to calm their fears. We hope that with the
strengthening of our security, people will have more confidence to come to
Sabah. The safety issue is also a problem in West Malaysia with the crime
rate rising. This will seriously affect us in the long run if we don’t solve it.”
He commented: “The ocean is crying out because of dynamite fishing
and our leaders have to play a role and ensure that we see change. If we
don’t get our hands dirty and address the fundamental issues and root
problem to solve this. It’s the same when it comes to cleanliness. This is
a big problem especially in Semporna. We have to educate the people,
implement penalties and also invest in waste disposal management.”
He added: “Although we have a lot of Chinese tourists coming in, but can’t
put all our eggs in one basket. We need to cater to other markets as well
and continue to promote to other countries in Europe. You never know, if an
outbreak suddenly happens our tourism industry might suffer. That is why
we should market to all countries and treat each market equally to ensure
continuity.”
Lo said this also refers to the lack of infrastructure that we have for
tourists. Management has to identify the right people for certain jobs and
make sure it’s conducted efficiently. And this involves everything including
issues like managing public toilets which are dirty and sometimes doesn’t
have water.
Lo is also concerned about destructing fishing practices and overfishing
that poses the most severe threats to the Sabah waters. Fish bombing
is practiced along nearly the entire cost of Sabah. Fishermen use illegal
explos ]