KOTA KINABALU, 4 March — A movement branding itself as ‘Sabah Bangkit’, has added to the rising tide of change here in the Land Below the Wind, marking a milestone in the mobilization of the civil society in Sabah.

Propelling the rights of Sabah indigenous people as its main agenda, Sabah Bangkit has recently stepped forward in organizing a march, ‘Jalan Untuk Masa Depan Sabah’ (Walk for the Future of Sabah), while throwing its strongest support behind an Occupy gathering at Penampang.

The march, rallying the slogan ‘Tidak Lagi Berdiam’ (Idle No More) was held over a period of three days from Friday, 22 February until Sunday, 24 February. Around 50 people have made the 60-km walk a success, trailing the route from Tambunan to Penampang, crossing the Crocker Range and Sabah’s nature parks.

Participants also included a number of 15 people from the peninsula, made up of supporters of the already well-known pro-environment NGOs coalition, Himpunan Hijau.

Occupy Dataran Datuk Peter Majuntin

Meanwhile, the Occupy gathering, known as ‘Occupy Dataran Datuk Peter Majuntin’, which began on 26 February and concluded on 3 March, was held at Penampang town’s main public square. The nightly event, scheduled from 6pm to 10pm, aimed to have participants discussing and raising awareness about current affairs and future, particularly of the state.

According to the movement’s Facebook page, Sabah Bangkit defines itself as a movement to fight against social discrimination and violation of rights of Sabah indigenous people.

The movement has also fielded out a declaration, named ‘Deklarasi Bangkit’ (Uprising Declaration), touching on points of good administration and governance, good keeping of the environment, recognition of the rights of the indigenous people, justice and equality for all and a clean and fair electoral process.

“The time has come for the citizens of Sabah to show their stand,” according to the movement’s official statement.

Sabah Bangkit also asserted that its activities are to offer reminders to whoever that will lead the state and Malaysia, that Sabahans are not to ‘blindly follow anyone’, calling on citizens of the Borneo state to be aware of their plights and concerns. — The Rocket