KOTA KINABALU: Every morning, Suhidin Jidlani has to wake up before five to send his younger children to school from their home on Pulau Berhala to mainland Sandakan.
This is no ordinary trip as the 60-year-old fisherman-turned-boatman has to ferry his children, along with other passengers, across the sea to reach the mainland by 6am so that his children can be on time for school.
“Crashing through waves to send our children to school is daily life here on Pulau Berhala ever since I can remember.
“I was once a fisherman but I changed to being a boatman to earn more for my family,” he said, adding that his boat could take 60 people a trip.
He charges RM2 a trip and RM80 for charter visits to the island, which boasts several natural attractions such as its jungle, white sandy beaches and a rock cliff.
Suhidin, who has great grandchildren, has lived on the island all his life. He wishes things would change for the better with a new government in place.
“I worry for my children every time although I send them to the mainland myself. That is why we hope the entourage from the DAP today will hear our needs,” he said, referring to the visit by the DAP candidate in the Sandakan parliamentary by-election, Vivian Wong.
A leper colony during the colonial period, Pulau Berhala is now a thriving community of over 3,000 people who mostly count on the sea for their source of income.
There are generations of fishermen and boatmen on the island, a 20-minute boat ride from the mainland, although some also depend on farming for sustenance.
Villagers have no major complaints about their way of life but they are still without basic amenities such as electricity, clean water supply and schools on the island.
“Some have generator sets for temporary power but it’s costly to buy diesel. Most people on the island will only have candles to light up their homes at night,” Suhidin said. - FMT
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