Sabah quake: "Aki is not the same anymore, it's now destroyed" - Ranau residents
Astro Awani
June 9, 2015 12:50 MYT
June 9, 2015 12:50 MYT
Farhana explains that the indecent behaviour have caused the Sabahan to suffer. - File Photo
Malaysians are still reeling from the recent earthquake measuring 6.0-Richter scale that struck Ranau in Sabah, last Friday.
Five days into the devastation, search and rescue mission is being aggressively carried out in the area. To date, 19 fatalities had been reported several days after the image of Mount Kinabalu, was allegedly 'tainted' by a group of foreign climbers.
A few images had gone viral on social media, showing a group of foreign climbers stripped before taking pictures atop Mount Kinabalu.
To this day, many Malaysians are crying foul over what seemed to be an immoral and crude act by the foreigners.
A comment posted by a lecturer from Sabah College University Foundation (UCSF ) has attracted the most attention.
Farhana Abdul Fatah, who is of Dusun ethnic, expressed her personal opinion on Facebook citing that the indecent behaviour had caused Sabahans to suffer from the repercussion of the nudists' climbers.
The impact may have not been directly, but the tragedy can be defined on various aspects: cultural, spiritual, logical, scientific and religious.
For many generations, Farhana's family has been recounting the myths and stories surrounding Mount Kinabalu, also called 'Aki Nabalu' and the Dusun has been a guardian of Aki since ancient times.
Farhana in her jottings said the climbers who had inadvertently stripped atop Mount Kinabalu had shown their disrespectful for the mountain which is the pride and soul of Sabah. - Screengrab Photo of Nur Farhana's Facebook
Farhana has also condemned the climbers' action as 'rude' and 'insulting' to both Mount Kinabalu but also Dusun people.
"Now Aki is not the same anymore, it has been 'destroyed'. Even though we are sad, angry and disappointed, but we are not discouraged," she said.
The status, which was uploaded on June 5, has received a staggering 11,000 likes and to date, it has been shared more than 8,000 times. Amidst brickbats, positive comments were also given and many seemed to be singing the same tune as Farhana's.