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13th September, 2010
TUARAN: The state government wants to see more social groups helping out in tackling social ills being faced by youths and children today.
State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor said the government was concerned as drug abuse and pornography had become common; pointing out that even the Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Sabah in his recent Hari Raya message urged the state government to focus on the increasing social ills.
“However, there is only so much the government can do and it therefore needed all the help it could get from NGOs including religious institutions.
“This is where voluntary and uniformed bodies like the Pathfinders come in. You play an important role not only in training, guiding and moulding youths into useful citizens but even as leaders of the nation one day,” he said at the officiating of the Sabah Pathfinder Fair 2010 at the Adventist Retreat Camp at Dantai in Tuaran yesterday.
He said the Malaysian Constitution guaranteed the freedom of religion although Islam is the official religion, adding that the secret of the nation’s success despite being multi-racial and multi-religious was the mutual respect Malaysians had for each other.
He added this was especially so in Sabah where there are more than 30 ethnic groups, pointing out that even the Prime Minister had said that Sabah is the best example of 1Malaysia in practice.
Meanwhile, Master Guide Pastor Simon Siew in his speech said Sabah has been given the honour to host an even larger Pathfinder event next year, the Southeast Asian Pathfinder Fair 2011.
More than 2,000 participants from not just Southeast Asia but also other parts of the world are expected to attend, he added.
About 700 members of the Sabah Pathfinder Club from all over the State attended the four-day fair held at the retreat’s camping ground which is by the shore of the scenic Ambong Bay bordering Kota Belud.
The Club is under the auspices of the SDA Church and its activities are similar to those of the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and Boys’ Brigade. The highest level of membership or leadership is the Master Guide (MG).
Dantai in turn is next to Kampung Lok Nunuk which is the venue for the annual “Eko Daing” (Plenty of Fish) Festival.
Also present were the President of the Sabah Pathfinder Club, Pastor Feldinand Belgium Sawanai; Hajiji’s political secretary Kassim Razali; and Sulaman People’s Development Leader (PKR), Johari Saiman.
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