CHRISTMAS LIGHT ON THE CROSS AT TIVUNG OVERLOOKING PENAMPANG PLAINS

 

This was how I saw the cross at night for the first time,

after Banie and his group has installed the Solar-LED lights

Christmas Eve was special for the year 2013 when the Penampang residents saw a bright cross on a hill they named as "Salip" which means cross in Kadazan anyway.
Even the Editor of Daily Express quickly rang me to take a picture and find out about the story behind it, which was rather easy.

I went to Taman Tanaki and the first grocery shop I went into at 9pm was staffed by a cute Kadazan girl who happened to be the niece of the man who installed the lights on the gigantic hardwood cross on Salip Hill.

So after a quick phone call, I introduce myself to a man I would admire for all his activities and technical expertise, a young Engineer Adrian Banie Lasimbang.

According to him, the idea to light up salip tivung this year came during christmas carols at our training centre in Nampasan about a week ago. Our centre is called Centre for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technologies (CREATE). Residents around Nampasan and Tanaki are very concerned about the hill cutting activity that threatens this historical landmark of Penampang.

We thought it is best to attract attention of the public to this almost forgotten cross at tivung and in the same time share the light of christmas to the people of Penampang by lighting up this cross. Youths from Tanaki and Nampasan used to go to tivung during christmas eve and light itup using colored light and generator. It have been more than15 years since we last did that.

 

So our Non Profit Organisation called TONIBUNG or Tobpinai Ningkokoton Koburuon Kampung based in Nampasan designed this solar powered LED lights. We then gathered volunteers to help with the installation. The system cost about RM 3000 and the materials are gathered from scrap and solar equipment are donated by my company Penampang Renewable Energy Sdn. Bhd. The current system we installed is very small and can only last for 4 hours max

We wish to make the lights more permanent, so if we can pass the hat around and get enough donations we can design a slighty bigger solar PV system that can last longer.

 

So I hope all those with spare cash can donate to this gentleman and his group so that next hear 2014, we light up the whole of that hill, hoping that it would still be standing by then.

 

I have talked to the land owner of Salip, Datuk Gregory Joitol and he said that permission WAS NEVER NECESSARY for anyone to climb the hill, for their pilgrimage as it was a place for the Good Friday prayers before, and even to put on Christmas Lights. Sadly however, he informed me that there is nothing he could do to preserve the hill since all the land in front of his land facing Penampang have been converted to CL title and sold to Sarawakian developer who will built high rise housing areas. Their project includes harvesting the clay soil for earthfilling other projects and that created a steep earth cliff near the boundary of his land.

 

The rain and natural elements will cause his land to collapse and the hill will be gone too, he said.

Although he does not mind the Cross to be relocated further into his land, however the height will be lower and so the original SALIP landmark will be gone maybe in two years time.

 

NO WONDER I myself simply had no mood this Christmas, felt depressed and I thought it was that stupid weather this month which has been raining every evening without fail and causing a muddy mess around my house.

 

Now I know the reasons. Our country is one where development is for greeeeedy profit only. All those people involved viz developers and those in power giving the approval could not care about anything else.

Everything in their path including important and famous landmarks, iconic trees, rivers, streams and the environment in general are simply BULLDOZED for the sake of their CONDOMiniums, hotels, shopblocks and offices.

 

In other developed countries, the authorities will insist that for any new development, the project owners must first identify all important historical landmarks and environmental factors such as major drainage rivers, and then design the projects to fit into these existing factors.  NOT so in Malaysia, the land of the boleh boleh. Everything boleh so long as the palms are greased.  In the words of a well known person....

 

ADA PULUS ADA LULUS ..... !!!!

 

Here are some pics for you to enjoy.

 

 The Salip as photographed with a Tele lens from Kg Tanaki, Penampang

 The Salip showing the hill cutting by the developer. Notice the smaller white cross near the boundary which used to serve as one of the STATIONs of the Cross prayer location.



Adrian's volunteers carrying the equipments up the hill to Salip

 



 

 

 Adrian and his gang fixing the lights

 

The solar cell, battery and control system at the back of the cross

 

Adrian Banie Celebrates on the success of his handiwork

 

Cheers Banie and Gang

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2014.