TAMBUNAN: Tambunan’s natural beauty and tranquility, known as the “Switzerland of the East,” must be preserved and leveraged for the wellbeing of local communities, said Sabah National Unity and Integration Department (JPNIN) Director Rina Abdul Harun.
“The natural charm of this district provides great added value to the implementation of unity projects and community based economic development,” she said when met during her two day official working visit to Tambunan for the Titian Aspirasi Perpaduan Programme for Kawasan Rukun Tetangga (KRT) Tambunan and the Progressive RT Monitoring Visit, recently.
During the visit, Rina inspected economic projects under the Progressive RT model at two main locations, KRT Tikolod and KRT Kitou.
At KRT Tikolod, the local community, through cooperation between TRK Campsite, the Tagal river conservation system and the KRT committee, had successfully developed a river based recreational centre.
She was welcomed with a performance of traditional musical instruments including the Sompoton and Tagunggak, and tried out an all-terrain vehicle ride, one of the main attractions for visitors to the site.
The visit continued to Marangas KRT Kitou, where she viewed a corn farming project for poultry feed that began in 2025 and is now expanding rapidly.
Speaking at the Titian Integrasi Perpaduan Programme for Tambunan district at Dewan Kampung Nambayan, Rina urged all KRT members to remain the main drivers of the national unity agenda through grassroots activities.
She called on KRT leadership to place emphasis on efficient and inclusive management and to stay alert to digital information by becoming disseminators of accurate information and agents against fake news.
She also called on KRT to continue acting as a driver of the community economy and a guardian of harmony through its role as a cyber community mediator to counter hate speech, while strengthening local security through the Skim Rondaan Sukarela volunteer patrol scheme.
