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A view of the site for the Dusun Cultural Abode at the banks of Tuaran River near SM Advent Sabah (on the left).
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29th May, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: Tamparuli, a small village of several rows of wooden shops that has grown into a town of 37,000 people, is getting set to draw more tourists.
Plans are afoot to have more tourist attractions in Tamparuli, which has hitherto been known for its weekly market on Wednesdays and the famous “Jambatan Tamparuli” song, and has seen tourists visiting the World Heritage Site in the Kinabalu National Park in Kundasang.
Tamparuli State Assemblyman Jahid Jahim said the government proposed to develop several tourism products under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), including building the “Rumah Kebudayaan Dusun” (Dusun Cultural Abode) and upgrading the Australian War Memorial Park, Bukit Ruhiang and Minangkob Waterfall sites.
He said the Rumah Kebudayaan Dusun would popularise the culture of the Dusun ethnic community.
“We plan to have lodging houses for tourists who wish to spend the night there,” he told Bernama.
Jahid, who is Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports, said the government would upgrade the War Memorial Park to draw more tourists from Australia.
Bukit Ruhiang, located about 300 metres from Tamparuli, will be developed as a new tourist attraction for people who love extreme sports.
“We propose to build 1,000 steps to the peak of the hill from where the view is just fantastic. You can see the sea, river and the natural beauty around Tamparuli,” he said.
Jahid said the government was considering developing the Minangkob Waterfall which was popular with the local people but had yet to be fully developed.
“We will also try to make the Dusun Lotud cemetery in Kampung Bontoi near here a heritage site to enable the local community as well as tourists to see the unique graveyard of the ethnic community found only in the Tuaran district,” he said.
“It is my desire to get all the new tourism products in Tamparuli into the Sabah tourism calendar,” he said.
Jahid said the tourism development in the area would indirectly upgrade the economic position of the local people.
“My objective is to develop tourism and agriculture apart from providing infrastructure facilities,” he said.
Jahid said the agricultural sector was given attention under the ninth development plan because 70 per cent of Tamparuli was most conducive for the activity, which could generate income for the villagers.
“One of the crops suitable for commercial cultivation is rubber. The income of rubber tappers is good as the price of rubber is stable. However, the tappers only work half a day. I hope to get them to cultivate other crops and breed freshwater fish,” he said.
Jahid said various infrastructure projects had been planned for the benefit of the people of Tamparuli, including upgrading of the 12-km Kg Kapa-Gaya Ratau-Bundu Tohuri road, the 13-km Topokoon-Wangkod-Gontung road and the 10-km Teghilan-Molisou-Saradan-Sambah road, which would complete the road network in the area.
Efforts were also underway to supply electricity to seven villages, stretching from Kampung Kayangat to Kampung Tiong Monggis, which would benefit more than 2,000 people, he said.
He also said that the government wanted to upgrade Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tamparuli and SMK Tenghilan to accommodate an increasing number of students.
“We will also set up a Kadazandusun school, the first of its kind in Sabah, in Tiong Monggis, Tenghilan, to ensure that the Kadazandusun language is not lost to history.
“We will be getting funds from the United Nations through a non-governmental organisation based in South Korea. The ground-breaking was performed last week and we hope to see the school coming up soon,” he said.
Tuaran Member of Parliament Datuk Wilfred Madius Tanggau said he supported the efforts of Jahid and would work with him to develop Tamparuli.
The state constituencies of Tamparuli, Kiulu and Sulaman come under the parliamentary constituency of Tuaran.
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