KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has set up a fund as a gesture of goodwill to China as it battles the Wuhan virus outbreak.
Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal today said the fund would be launched soon and collections had already started.
He hoped that over RM1 million could be raised.
Shafie said Sabah was not a rich state but it would do what it could to assist a country in trouble.
“The responsible thing to do is to support China when the country is facing difficulties.
“We are sympathetic towards China, not just because of the outbreak but also the trade war the country is facing.
“We can’t be a friend who is only around in the good times but abandon them when times are hard.
“It is time for us to repay China. When China was doing well, Sabah too had reaped the benefit of their economic spillover from the tourism industry,” he told reporters after launching the Sabah Pay app payment platform here today.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew on Monday night also announced that a charity dinner would be held on Feb 17 to raise money for the fund.
The death toll of the novel coronavirus outbreak has now passed 1,000, claiming more lives than the SARS outbreak in 2003.
China has since imposed a lockdown in the province of Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak.
Shafie said he was in constant contact with the consul-general’s office in Kota Kinabalu on the latest developments and also to assist China nationals who were stranded or working in Sabah.
He hoped the China government would understand the travel restrictions imposed by the state government as it wanted to protect the people in the state as Sabah lacked medical facilities to handle an outbreak.
He added that the restrictions were only temporary.
“We will do something when things improve. Or if there is a vaccine that can cure the disease.
“We will then discuss with the authorities on how to resume the suspended flights,” said Shafie, adding that he was relieved that the state had not recorded any novel coronavirus case yet.
On another matter, Shafie expressed his disappointment over the death of two more elephants in Sukau and Deramakot last night.
“I am deeply saddened by it. I have told the authorities and reiterated also in the state Cabinet meetings last year that rangers should be included in the operation to prevent the death of the Sabah pygmy elephants,” said Shafie.
In November last year, the police para-military unit, Tiger Platoon, was roped in to assist in investigations into the senseless killing of the elephants. - FMT
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