KOTA BELUD: A MINI grocery store sits quietly within a wooden house of a Bajau Ubian family, anticipating prospective customers as its owners go about their lives on the tranquil island of Mantanani.
Every so often, islanders and visitors will pass by the stilt house but rarely stop at the store to buy something.
Still, Harkani Sabli, does not make a fuss about it as most of the foodstuff that he puts on the shelves are for his own consumption.
“The store is just a side-income. If other villagers need something, they will come to buy because the islanders don’t go to the mainland every day.
“I go to the town once a fortnight to replenish the stock in the store. Tourists from the other side of the island will usually walk here to watch the sunset and sometimes, one or two will stop to buy tidbits or drinks,” he said.
Mantanani is made up of three islands, namely Mantanani Besar, Mantanani Kecil and Longgisan.
Harkani lives in Kampung Siring Bukit on the north coast of Mantanai Besar — the only inhabited island.
He lives with his wife, Khalsum Tawol, and their two daughters, aged two and five. The couple’s two teenage children are currently staying at SMK Narinang hostel on the mainland.
Siring Bukit is the most serene and quiet village with a smattering of small houses with its population estimated to be 100.
Another village — Kampung Padang — is heavily populated on the south coast, where SK Pulau Mantanani is located.
“We love it here because it is not crowded and it is a very peaceful village. Most of us (at Siring Bukit) are related and we have been here for a very long time.
“Like my family, the others too have their own grocery stores, so sometimes, we will buy from them, and vice-versa.
“Other than that, the men go fishing and the women do house chores and look after the children,” says Harkani.
He added that they would sell their fish to villagers in Kampung Padang or nearby resort operators.
Tourism activities on the island, he said was booming slowly over the past years with several resorts and homestays being built overlooking the clear waters of Mantanani.
Not wanting to be left behind in the tourism boom, Harkani rented out his plot of land to a businessman, who established a day trip centre for tourists and visitors.
“The island has a lot of potential to become one of the best tourism destinations. With the establishment of resorts and lodges, this opens up job opportunities for the islanders.
“Many youngsters are working to earn money. Tourism on the island is good because the young people are really doing something useful and not indulging in negative social activities,” he said.
With tourists visiting the island almost daily, Harkani hoped tourism activities on Mantanani would remain sustainable so as not to jeopardise the livelihood of the Bajau Ubian community.
He said there was a need to further protect the marine ecosystem, in line with plans to transform Mantanani into a marine protected park, as announced by Sabah Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
He said fish bombing activities still took place but the practice was not as rampant as it was in the past, adding that fish bombers usually carried out the activity away from the island.
Recently, Sabah Tourism and Culture Ministry, in partnership with Sabah Backpackers Association, carried out its #sayangmalaysia and “End in Sipadan” campaign to further promote Mantanani as a divers’ paradise.
Mantanani is known for its clear waters with diving visibility reaching up to 20m.
With 28 dive sites recorded, the island provides great opportunities for amateur and professional divers to explore the island’s underwater beauty.
The island’s waters are decent, if not among the best, dive sites for underwater photographers to take pictures of marine life, such as sea slugs, frogfish, imperial shrimp, seahorses and ribbon eels, among others.
The “End in Sipadan” kicked off at Mari-Mari in Sepanggar, Kota Kinabalu in April and the programme is expected to finish its run in Sipadan at the end of the year.
The campaign is aimed at promoting dive site trails, starting from Kota Kinabalu to the world renowned Sipadan.