RANAU – After a year without work, Mount Kinabalu guides Dolius Tinggi and Luke Kabun are really looking forward to some positive news – specifically, the resumption of mountain-climbing activities – from the Sabah government on February 18.
Climbing activities were halted due to the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) on March 18 last year, and only resumed on December 5.
Unfortunately, they were suspended again after MCO 2.0 was enforced in December last year, providing only a short window of opportunity to earn small wages doing guide work to the top of Mount Kinabalu.
The two cousins have been mountain guides for over 20 years, but the pandemic pushed these two men down to their knees. Over the past year, the pandemic meant that they have been forced to live off their savings.
According to the duo, the cash handouts given the government only came up to around RM600 – and even that was given in two separate portions. It was definitely not enough to sustain their livelihoods, which led to both of them venturing into farming in order to sustain themselves.
According to Luke, the short-lived resumption of climbing activities last year during the recovery MCO was not enough to cover the damage done by the deadly Covid-19 virus.
“I was only able to climb four times – and for each trip, the pay was only about RM200 each,” the 51-year-old father of five told The Vibes.
The first round of lockdown in March last year was already burdensome for the native of Kg Kiau Taburi near Ranau here. The second lockdown made the situation even worse, until he had to ask his wife to tap into the family savings in order for them to stay afloat.
Luke said mountain guides are now waiting for the state government to make an announcement on February 18, expecting mountain-climbing activities to resume.
As for 56-year-old Dolius, who has also been facing the same problems as his cousin, he said they have been growing chilli, pepper, and vegetables, subsequently selling their harvest at the local market.
“Unfortunately, it does not come up to much; only around RM100 – and even then, it is not every day that we get income," he lamented.
“The farm produce is also for our own consumption, with the rest being sold at the market in Kundasang. Right now, I have to wait until the plants grow before I can sell them,” Dolius said.
It is not an easy solution – and Dolius has already exhausted his savings. Now, he can only hope that mountain climbing activities can resume as soon as possible as he still has to feed his family.
The elder cousin – who is also part of the fire and rescue team assigned to carry out rescue work on the mountain – has four grown-up children, with the youngest now studying at a local higher learning institution near Kota Kinabalu.
Their plight has not gone unnoticed. Kinabalu Mountain Guides Association secretary Abdul Hasnin Kasim said the livelihoods of 289 mountain guides have been severely affected by the lockdown.
“Many of us had to try farming or find part-time jobs such as becoming mechanics,” he told The Vibes. “This is our only way of sustaining ourselves during this difficult time.”
Hasnin said that while they were grateful for the government’s cash aid, they noted that the monies were barely enough to covers their kitchen expenses.
“However, we do understand that the government also needs to pay attention to the plight of the fishermen and farmers – so we will just make do with whatever has been handed out to us already,” he said.
Most of the Mount Kinabalu guides and porters are in their mid-30s, while the oldest guide is 69 years old.
The guides gained worldwide recognition in 2015 for their heroic deeds in rescuing victims trapped on the mountain following the deadly earthquake that struck Ranau.
The 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit on June 5, killing 19 people after it triggered a landslide on the mountain. – The Vibes, February 12, 2021
