SABAH THE STATE OF CHAPTER 13

Transcription

1 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 1 CHAPTER 13 THE STATE OF SABAH The location of Sabah has caused it to be called The Land Below the Wind or The County Below the Wind. It is situated to the south of the Philippines, a nation which has always been hit by typhoons. However, these typhoons would always not go south to Sabah.

2 2 Mt. Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world SABAH THE LAND BELOW THE WIND Located below the typhoon belt, Sabah is known as The Land Below the Wind. The state is situated in north Borneo, and with a land area of about 70,000 sq. km., it is the second largest Malaysian state. Surrounded by the South China Sea in the west, the Sulu Sea in the northeast and the Celebes Sea in the south, the state has a coastline of more than 1,400 km. Celebrated as one of the three best sunset locations in the world, tourism is well-developed in Sabah. The tropical highlights of the state include Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia, Sipadan Island, one of the world s top diving spots and Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world. Separated from the Malay Peninsula by the South China Sea, Sabah and Sarawak are known as East Malaysia. Sabah consists of five administrative divisions: Tawau, Sandakan, Kudat, West Coast and the Interior. These are further divided into 24 districts. The state capital is Kota Kinabalu, more commonly known as KK; it was named Api or Jesselton in the past. As the Eastern Gateway to East Malaysia, KK is accessible by air, land and sea. The other major towns include Tawau, Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Semporna. Tawau, the third largest town of Sabah, is situated in the south-eastern part of the state. The town faces the Celebes Sea while the interior mountain ranges lie west of the town. Sandakan, a town located in the east coast

3 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 3 of Sabah, has a population of 300,000. It used to be called Little Hong Kong because it was the only town with Cantonese as its lingua franca. Lahad Datu is a farming district surrounded by cocoa and oil palm estates. Semporna means perfect in both Bajau and Malay. It was originally a small fishing village but it is now a tourist resort famous for its spectacular underwater world. HISTORY Known as North Borneo in the early days, Sabah was ruled by the Brunei Sultanate and the Sulu Sultanate in the 15th and 16th centuries. Much later, the British East India Company signed a contract to set up a trading base in Balembangan Island, which is located in the north of Sabah. However, the Company gave up the project after encountering repeated problems. Since 1881, the state had been managed by the British North Borneo Chartered Company until 1942 when it came under Japanese occupation. After the Japanese had surrendered, the British took over Sabah again and it became a British colony officially. In 1963, when the state joined Sarawak, Singapore and the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia, its name was changed to Sabah.

4 4 The indigenous people celebrating the Harvest Festival Kadazan-Dusun, the main natives of Sabah POPULATION There are more than 32 indigenous people groups and 50 languages in Sabah. The Kadazan-Dusun people are the largest group, followed by the Bajau, Murut and Paitan people. Altogether, there are about 1 million of them. According to the statistics of 2000, the population of Sabah was about 2.6 millions. Compared to its population figure of 450,000 in 1960, there had been a six-fold increase within a period of forty years, thus indicating a rapid rise in the number of immigrants. The 2009 population figure of Malaysia stood at 27 millions, while the population of Sabah alone already exceeded 3.2 million, which was then about one-tenth of the total population. The composition of the state population in 2009 was as follows: Kadazan-Dusun 24%, Bajau 17%, Malays 15%, Chinese 13% and Murut 4%. The demographic change is a reflection of the political agenda of Tun Mustapha Datu Harun during his leadership in the state. He brought in a large number of Muslims from southern Philippines, which contributed to the significant increase of 24% in Sabah s migrant population. The 2000 statistics showed that Christians made up 31% of Sabah s population but with the influx of migrants into the state, Islam has become the religion with the largest number of followers.

5 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 5 ECONOMY & DEVELOPMENT The historical and religious background of Sabah is different from that of West Malaysia. The racial harmony and inter-racial marriages that prevailed prior to her independence underwent a change after independence. As a result of political conflict, tension has arisen among the different ethnic and religious groups. (Note: Before the formation of Malaysia, the two East Malaysian states had reached an agreement with the Federal Government concerning the following: (a) Sabah enjoys religious freedom, there should be no state religion. (b) The state government has the right and freedom to amend and execute its own immigration laws. (c) The traditions and customs of the indigenous people would be respected and protected by the state government. The indigenous people should enjoy special rights similar to those given to the Malays.) Sabah is rich in natural resources. The main revenue sources of the state are timber, oil palm, cocoa and pepper. From the 1970 s to the 1980 s, the timber trade had provided the impetus for economic growth. However, because of poor resource management, Sabah is the poorest state in Malaysia today. Many districts in the interior remain neglected; they are still without water and electricity supply. Moreover, basic infrastructure for transport and communication is incomplete. This has hindered the people s access to education and

6 6 medical treatment, especially for the indigenous people who live in the interior. MISSIONS IN SABAH According to the 1990 population statistics of Sabah, Christians consisted of 35% of the population. But 10 years later, their percentage declined to 31%, which is about 900,000 people. Most of the Sabah Christians are the Kadazan-Dusun people; they make up two-thirds of the Christian population in the state, that is, 600,000 people. They mainly worship in Catholic, Anglican, Basel and SIB churches. The Anglican Church started its ministry in North Borneo in 1869, when the British first landed in Labuan Island, which lies on the west coast of Sabah. In 1881, when the British North Borneo Chartered Company took over North Borneo, the Catholic mission organisation, Mill Hill, extended its ministry to Papar. In 1882, the Basel Church moved southward; its members were mostly Hakka Chinese. They built their first church in Kudat called the Lausan Church. Among the Hakka speaking Chinese in Kudat, there were ten families who belonged to the Basel Church. They worked diligently on the land

7 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 7 Hakka believers of the Basel Christian Church Lausan Church, the first church set up for Basel believers in Kudat from Monday to Saturday but on Sunday the ten families would cease their labour to worship God. They also shared the gospel zealously; therefore the church grew in number. The Anglican Church sent their missionaries from Sarawak to Sandakan in The work of the gospel took root there after they had built their first church in the area. In 1952, the Basel Church headquarters in Switzerland worked with the Sabah branch to establish a reformed church for the Kadazan-Rungus people in order to reach out to this group. As the number of the indigenous churches increased, so did the expectations and demands on the pastors. As a response to the changing needs and circumstances, the Basel Christian Church established a Bible Training Center in Kota Kinabalu in It was renamed the Sabah Theological Seminary in As an inter-denominational entity, it was the first seminary using the Malay language as the medium of instruction. As the church ministry expanded in scope, the number of Basel Church branches reached 41 in 2000, with 700 elders and lay workers. The Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference of the Methodist Church started planting churches in Sabah in Over the past two decades, the Methodist Church has built 10 Chinese speaking churches and two English speaking churches. They have also set up seven gospel centres and churches among the indigenous people,

8 8 Australian missionaries from the Borneo Evangelical Mission and trained six indigenous pastors. In 1928, Hudson Southwell, Frank Davidson, and Carey Tolley from the Borneo Evangelical Mission came to Kuching and began sharing the gospel among the indigenous people living in the interior of Borneo. As a result, many of the natives ceased their drinking habits and their head hunting practices. Soon the burning spirit for mission in Sabah led to the establishment of the Borneo Evangelical Church. It is better known as the SIB (Sidang Injil Borneo in the Malay language). In 2010, SIB recorded over 300,000 believers in East Malaysia. It has been recognized as one of the fastest growing churches in Malaysia. Other churches include the Grace Chapel, the Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Brethren and other independent assemblies. In term of social concern, the education sector received the largest investment from the churches apart from their outreach ministries. Whether they are Catholics or Anglicans or the Basel church members, Christians here have founded education institutions ranging from kindergartens to colleges. The impact of Christianity in education and morality is far reaching; the beneficiaries include many professionals and leaders in the society. The Christian faith has helped to raise the level of people s thinking, bring about social improvements and lay a firm foundation for nation building.

9 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 9 In 1982, the different Christian denominations in Sabah came together to form the Sabah Council of Churches. It serves as a bridge between the church and the state government, and provides suggestions to the government regarding social concerns and state development. In addition, the Council organises revival and gospel meetings, seminars and conferences. It also actively promotes interchurch collaboration in prison and counseling ministries. In January 1988, the Council started the Sabah Theological Seminary to train pastors and church leaders. The seminary has developed and nurtured church ministries at various levels in the state. In the last few years, the Malaysia National Prayer Network (MNPN) and other prayer groups have been promoting prayer meetings in the state. May the church continue to be revived and may our country be transformed through their prayers.

10 10 Profile of Sabah Area: about 73,619 square kilometers Capital: Kota Kinabalu Total population: more than 3.7 million Kadazan-Dusun & other indigenous peoples (50%), Malays (11%), Chinese (10%), non-citizens from Philippine & Indonesia (24%) Religions: Islam (64%), Christianity & Catholicism (28%), Buddhism or Taoism (7%) Prayer for Sabah 1. Ask God to bless the Sabah state government with wisdom to manage the state resources and to uphold religious freedom. 2. Pray that the churches in Sabah will be united in prayer in their outreach to all the people groups in the state. 3. Ask God to affirm and strengthen the faith of our indigenous brothers and sisters-in-christ. Pray that they will be provided with ample manpower and resources in their ministries.

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