KOTA KINABALU – Residents of a village in Pitas, one of the ten poorest districts in Malaysia, think that they have been showered with a gift from heaven after minerals resembling gold were found on a hill near a road construction site last week.
News about the find near Kg Boluuh Bongkol quickly became viral after several individuals posted photos of rocks that appeared to be coated with gold.
When contacted, a construction worker involved in building Jalan Bongkol told The Vibes that this is the first time they discovered minerals resembling gold since they began working at the site over a month ago.
Excited locals have been flocking the area over the last three days, even at night, scouting for the mineral since the discovery was made.
The frenzy is going on despite authorities closing the area to the public while experts arrive to examine if the rocks are indeed gold.
Geologist Felix Tongkul said that he has examined the photos of the rocks and suggested the minerals may not be gold.
“They could be fool’s gold. Pyrite, an iron sulphide mineral with a metallic lustre, or chalcopyrite, a copper iron sulphide mineral. Both look like gold,” he told The Vibes.
“However, we will need the Minerals and Geoscience Department to confirm whether it is gold or not.
Tongkul said that the two minerals are common and do not have market value.
Meanwhile, many netizens blamed the individuals who made the incident public on social media for causing the government to close the area.
Facebook user Prizyla Jinik said: “The area has been raided by police and is now closed. Experts from Kota Kinabalu (conducted research) and found that they are gold.
“If I were the one who found gold, I would not have made it viral on social media. I would try to look for the gold first”.
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However, as the incident drew all eyes on Pitas, some villagers took the opportunity to highlight problems faced in the poor district on social media.
Villager Jamlyie Latip, 35, posted on his Facebook account several photos showing the terrible condition of a road linking the more than 200 villagers to Pitas town.
The farmer said that the road is the only route that connects villagers of Kg Latip, Kg Patani, and Kg Ampungoi.
“The villagers use this road daily to sell our crops in the town. Also, if we have an emergency, a medical one or a fire, how are the ambulances or fire trucks supposed to reach us?” he told The Vibes.
Jamlyie said that it is almost routine for the villagers to have to push their cars when passing the road, be it on a sunny or a rainy day, due to the mud.
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“Imagine a pregnant mother who is about to give birth getting stuck here when going to the hospital. This road has been our cry for many years, even since the first government,” he said.
Pitas, located in the north of Sabah, is in the Kudat parliamentary constituency. The district is known to be rural with limited infrastructure facilities.
The viral incident of student Veveonah Mosibin, who climbed a tree looking for internet connection in June last year also happened in Pitas. – The Vibes, November 10, 2021
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