SANDAKAN: An hour’s drive from Sandakan town, followed by a boat ride across the river, leads to Kampung Tanjung Pisau, a secluded coastal settlement where about 110 families live.
For residents there, the jetty and other basic facilities are not merely conveniences, but part of daily life in a community whose movements and livelihoods remain closely tied to the water.
The village and its school, SK Tanjung Pisau, have now benefited from RM600,000 worth of completed improvements under the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s (MMEA) Kampung Angkat Madani and Sekolah Angkat Madani programmes.
The full allocation, RM500,000 for the village programme and RM100,000 for the school, has been utilised.
Works carried out included maintenance of the Kampung Tanjung Pisau public jetty, improvements to the school jetty and buildings, as well as maintenance of the fence at Masjid Haji Yaakob.
MMEA director-general Maritime Admiral Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah said the village was a fitting choice for the agency because of the community’s close relationship with the sea.
“Sabah has a very close relationship with the sea. The sea is not only a source of livelihood for the people, but also an important economic resource for the state.
“It is also important in the context of the country’s security and sovereignty,” he said when launching the programmes here on Tuesday (Sept 29).
Rosli said the initiative allowed MMEA to get closer to coastal communities, better understand their needs and strengthen cooperation with residents.
The programme also carried personal significance for him.
Having previously served in Sabah, including as a maritime director, Rosli said the state remained close to his heart.
“After my own village, I had to find another village that was close to my heart. Sabah is close to my heart. I served in Sabah, so Sabah has become my kampung,” he said.
He said Kampung Tanjung Pisau was selected because its coastal setting was closely associated with MMEA’s work and the lives of maritime communities.
Beyond the infrastructure improvements, Rosli said he hoped villagers would also play a role in safeguarding the surrounding waters.
He urged residents to become MMEA’s “eyes and ears” by reporting suspicious activities, emergencies or threats.
“Any suspicious activity, emergency or threat should be reported to Maritim Malaysia or other security agencies as soon as possible,” he said.
Rosli also reminded those heading out to sea to ensure they had adequate safety equipment and remained alert to weather conditions and their surroundings.
The Sekolah Angkat Madani programme also aims to expose pupils to the maritime sector and basic sea safety while instilling discipline, integrity, responsibility and patriotism.
Rosli said he hoped the agency’s relationship with the village and school would continue beyond the completion of the projects.
“It is called Kampung Angkat and Sekolah Angkat, so it should be a continuous programme,” he said.
As of Sept 18, MMEA had carried out more than 51,000 inspections and 18,000 searches in Sabah waters this year.
A total of 185 people were detained, with seizures valued at more than RM121mil.
The agency also handled 21 search-and-rescue cases involving 48 people during the period, with 46 rescued, one still missing and one fatality recorded.
