“I saw the mountain moving!” – Cladeeryn Mohidin, mountain guide.
KUNDASANG, RANAU: The local Kadazandusuns believe that the spirits of their ancestors dwell among the bare rocks of Mt Kinabalu mountain top.
Whether the name is derived from the Kadazan words – Aki Nabalu – meaning “the revered place of the dead, or whether it is from the legend of a broken-hearted wife who turned into stone waiting for the return of her husband, or even the Kadazandusun story of a giant king, the magnificent view of the mountain remains unshaken the morning after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake.
Since the quake, the people have been lifting their eyes to the mountains seeking help from their god.
The local residents at Kampong Masilau whom The Borneo Post team met in the early morning have been keeping vigil since the Friday tremors at 7:15 am.
Residents of Kpg Mesalau, (from left) Khajili Sumail, 41, King Hadirin, 46, Cladeeryn Mohisin did not sleep the whole night in fear that the quake would recur where the rocks falling down would destroy their village.
“I saw the mountain moving!” he said, which could mean that he saw the mountain shaking, “It lasted about ten minutes and then I saw black smoke.”
Cladeeryn is a mountain guide, taking two months’ rest.
“We have not slept since then. There was a small after-shock at 5 am this morning,” said Cladeeryn Mohidin, 19.
Still traumatised, Cladeeryn who has lived in Massilau for three years after getting married, said he would be spending more time in his vegetable garden for a while.
Also with Cladeeryn was King Hadirin, 46, a Rela member. He and other Rela members are on guard to render whatever help they can as well as waiting for further meteorological reports.
Khajili Sumail, 41, said the trail will not be used for quite a long time.
“It is not going to be months, but years, because they need to make sure that the ground is settled and there is no loose debris. They have to repair the trail for safety reasons.”
He said it would affect the livelihood of the kampong, who are mainly mountain guides with some working full time and others part-time.
Zul Watamin, 44, said the beauty of the mountain had been overshadowed by the damage of the earthquake.
“Between Friday 9 pm to Saturday 5am, there were six tremors which were not major, the biggest being the 9 pm tremor.”
On the tourists who stripped naked and urinated on the mountaintop, he said: “Even though we are Muslims, we are still very angry and disappointed with those who had urinated on our holy site (referring to the mountain). This disrespectful act should not have happened.”
He said most of the people in his area are farmers planting mainly cabbages and flowers and most of the able people are employed as tour guides.
Small cracks were seen along the road while some water pipes had burst.
Between 9 pm Friday evening until 5 am Saturday morning, there were about six tremors. The water main was broken during one of these tremors.
The restoration work may take a while and estimates of losses have yet to be ascertained, but until then, as Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said yesterday, “The tourism industry can wait. The priority now is saving the lives of the people.”
According to the official reports, three have been confirmed dead while 14 are still missing.