Sabah is Forever Changed after 5 June 2015 Earthquake

The Psyche of the people of Sabah was forever changed after 5 June 2015. At 7.15am that morning, an earthquake measuring 5.9 magnitude on the Richter Scale struck Ranau and its tremor was felt throughout Sabah. Many aftershocks followed, one of which hit 5.1 magnitude on the Richter Scale.

At that precise moment, I was standing next to the dining table getting ready for my breakfast. Having suffered vertigo before, my first thought was - "Wow, what a major vertigo attack so early in the morning!". But then, the sensation was not in the head, I felt my legs swaying left and right in tandem with the swaying of the floor. The next immediate thought - "What kind of heavy machinery is passing outside our house so early in the morning to cause such massive vibration!". I rushed out to the front door together with my wife. There was no major machinery outside but we did see our neighbours all rushing out of the main doors. We knew then, an earthquake has struck. Little did we knew then that earthquake which lasted  barely 30 seconds was to claim 18 lives.

Since no major damage was found in the house, we proceeded with our driving trip to the Tip of Borneo in Kudat to attend the Sunset Music Fest scheduled at 5.00pm that evening. This had been planned quite a few days ago.

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Out of this tragedy, we saw villains, heroes, victims and heart-broken parents and individuals. There were tears of sorrow as well as tears of joy when injured were saved and when parents were reunited with their children. But to many, it was a freak natural disaster that has forever changed their lives. That earthquake has chiseled off part of their hearts leaving irreparable void.

The foreign hikers who may have thought it's fun to pose naked on top of Mt. Kinabalu probably never meant to cause offence to the people of Sabah. Some did learn a hard lesson and were found guilty of "committing an obscene act in a public area". They were duly punished. To the indigenous people, it was their disrespectful acts toward the local culture that was deemed  most abhorrent.

I have always been proud of this land which we Sabahans proudly proclaim to the world - "Land Below the Wind" or land free from natural disaster.  But with the tragedy caused by the 5th June earthquake, there is no doubt that this claim would no longer be true.

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I have climbed Mt. Kinabalu twice. The first time was in May 1972, the year after I finished my  A Levels. That was more than 43 years ago. At that time, climbing the mountain was no easy feat and it was so much more challenging.

Immediately after reaching the summit and on the way down, one of the girls injured her foot. She first tried to drag herself down with the assistance of an impromptu walking stick plucked from a little tree trunk. After repeated strenuous effort, it proved to be too difficult in the steep and rocky terrain.  In the end, some of the nine boys had to take turn to assist her to move down the mountain slowly one step at a time.  It was one experience that I find it hard to forget. That climb made me realize that friends are so crucial in time of crisis!

At the summit.

Donkey Ears in 1972.

The earthquake in 5 June 2015 was so powerful that part of one of the Donkey Ears was dislodged.

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In March 1987, I did the second climb with my wife together with a group of teachers from Sabah College.

A short break to watch the sun rise just before our final push to the summit.

At the summit.