Kota Kinabalu & Sabah News

KK Befrienders Notes Rise in Depression

The Kota Kinabalu (KK) Befrienders, a non-governmental organization offering emotional support, has noted a rise in depression among its clients.  The group did not disclose any figure but according to KK Befrienders publicity director Jessie Yong, as of July of this year, calls and text messages that they received were mostly from young men.  This means that men are learning to become more open and are willing to discuss their problems.  Yong also said that most of their problems are about their career and on financial matters.

Yong also stressed the importance of communication and family support to effectively deal with people who are depressed and distressed.  The cases of suicide in the state this year are wake-up calls for the public to be made aware of how to detect signs of depression so that they can still save somebody from committing such incident.  According to news reports, such cases were due to lack of family support and that the victims refused to talk about their problems.

KK Befrienders has a team of volunteers who are trained to listen and give appropriate advice to people who contact them, either through phone or text messages.  Talking (or writing) about one’s feelings is a way to fight depression.  The group is also active on social media because there are people who are more comfortable in writing to them rather than talking to them.  Yong also disclosed that workshops on increasing awareness on mental health will also continue.

Contacts of KK Befrienders

For those who are interested, KK Befrienders can be contacted through Helpline 088-255788 (Talk) and 016-8036945 (WhatsApp chat), 7 to 10pm every night.

Pan Borneo Highway to Transform Sabah After Completion

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman announced that the Pan Borneo Highway Project’s Phase One will be a game-changer for Sabah once it is completed in 2021 with major impacts on its economy and the well-being of its people.  At this time, the project will be upgraded from R3 to R5 level based on standards issued by the Public Works Department that has features on the safety and comfort of the travelling public.

In a recent interview by the deputy editor-in-chief of Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Datuk Mokhtar Hussain, Musa said that the upgrading will be from two-lane dual carriageway to four-lane, bypass included.  This will make travel time and distance shorter.

As for the payment of toll fee, it has been promised that the highway will be toll-free for the people of Sabah since they have no alternative route or road.

Musa also disclosed plans for the construction of a new coastal road in the north-western part of Sabah to boost tourism.

UMS Student Transforms Sabah Village to an Agro Hub

Suganya Subramaniam, 22, and a student at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), first travelled to Kampung Tudan in October last year, passing on the very rocky road going to the village.  It was not a good experience to her but what inspired her to return was her determination to help the people rise up from their impoverished situation.  A student of food science, Suganya and her team went back to the village a few more times to teach the villagers how to plant mulberry and harvest them to make tea and more food and cosmetic products.

Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said that they will promote and market the product, the Tudan Mulberry, through its subsidiary Sri Pelancongan Sabah Sdn Bhd.