KOTA KINABALU – In a desperate bid to secure a water supply, Jeffridin Baudi, a former employee of the now-defunct Sabah Forest Industries (SFI), is embarking on an arduous 150km solo run.
The 51-year-old, based in Sipitang, hopes to raise funds for a tube well for the beleaguered residents of SFI.
Scheduled for August 8, Jeffridin’s gruelling run will stretch from the SFI quarters in Sipitang to the Sabah state administration office in Likas, roughly a three-hour drive away.
Despite never having run more than 30km before, he estimates that this herculean task will take him two days to complete.
“I am left with no choice. The Sabah government does not want to take pity on us and has cut our electricity and water supply,” he said, highlighting the dire situation.
“I cannot stand seeing women and seniors waking up in the wee hours to purchase water and carry it 1.4km back to their homes.”
Jeffridin hopes his bold move will draw public attention and garner the necessary donations to build a tube well in the SFI compound.
The project’s estimated cost, which includes the piping system, tanks, and a solar water pump, is approximately RM100,000.
SFI, a once-thriving paper mill company founded in 1982 and owned by the Sabah government, took a dark turn after being sold to private entities, involving a 721,000-acre forest estate.
Mismanagement and conflicts led to its downfall, resulting in massive debt and the eventual cessation of operations in 2017, with the official winding up in November 2021.
The state government subsequently reclaimed the 46.033ha of land.
Despite repeated pleas from SFI workers to revive the company, the Sabah government has turned a deaf ear.
The government did, however, permit over 2,000 people, including 647 former SFI workers and their families, to remain in the quarters.
However, on May 2 last year, their electricity and subsequently water supply were cut off, as the pump in the estate’s in-house water treatment plant requires electricity to operate.
In August of last year, 30 SFI workers protested in front of the Sabah chief minister’s office in Likas, pleading for the restoration of their electricity supply, but their cries went unheard.
Jeffridin, driven by a sense of duty, refuses to sit idle.
“As a healthy man, this is the only thing I can do for the residents – to raise funds to build a tube well and solve our water problem first.
“Hopefully, I will be able to raise enough for the construction,” he said.
Though this is intended to be a solo mission, Jeffridin welcomes anyone who wishes to join him.
Interested individuals can contact him at +6011-3663-3628. – July 13, 2024