GEMPA BUMI DI SABAH DARI PERSPEKTIF PASUKAN MENCARI DAN MENYELAMAT. (Versi English dan Bahasa)
Pada 5 Jun 2015 yang lalu Malaysia dikejutkan dengan tragedi gempa bumi di Sabah. Gempa bumi bermagnitud 5.9 yang berlaku selama 30 saat melanda Ranau, Sabah. Walaubagaimanapun, kehilangan nyawa yang berlaku kesan gempa bumi itu lebih dirasai. Sekurang-kurangnya 18 orang maut di Gunung Kinabalu, sementara 137 telah terperangkap di gunung itu sebelum diselamatkan.
Pengalaman trauma Cik Dumlao mungkin telah mempengaruhi penilaiannya terhadap usaha sebenar yang dijalankan di lapangan.
Dalam perkiraan beliau ketika berlaku gempa bumi itu, Cik Dumlao mengatakan keadaan langit ketika itu cerah, sehingga membolehkan helikopter datang untuk menyelamatkan mereka. Namun, Cik Dumlao merasa kecewa apabila helikopter tidak datang pada ketika itu. Cik Dumlao bertambah kecewa apabila beliau dimaklumkan bahawa mereka hanya boleh diselamatkan pada keesokan harinya. Langit mungkin cerah pada kedudukan Cik Dumlao pada masa itu. Beliau berada di puncak gunung. Tetapi, hanya di bawah puncak gunung itu langit diliputi lapisan awan yang tebal yang tidak dapat ditembusi. Helikopter yang dijanjikan telahpun dihantar, Helikopter pertama terbang pada jam 12.02 tengahari tetapi helikopter tersebut tidak dapat menembusi awan. Sebanyak dua kali percubaan dilakukan. Kedua-duanya gagal.
Apabila helikopter akhirnya berjaya menembusi awan pada lewat petang tersebut, mereka tidak boleh mendarat. Helikopter tersebut membuat beberapa pusingan tetapi disebabkan oleh keadaan permukaan tanah dan cuaca ketika itu, helikopter tidak boleh mendarat tanpa membahayakan nyawa sesiapa sahaja yang berada di atas gunung. Pilihan terakhir mereka adalah menggugurkan makanan dan keperluan lain. Tetapi, disebabkan cuaca yang begitu buruk, dan keadaan angin yang bertiup kencang, bungkusan tersebut telah terjatuh ke kawasan yang tidak boleh diakses. Cik Dumlao percaya tindakan itu dilakukan dengan sengaja. Namun, juruterbang tersebut sememangnya bertindak mahu menjatuhkan bungkusan tersebut kepada para pendaki, tetapi disebabkan keadaan cuaca, bekalan bungkusan itu telah ditiup jatuh ke dalam gaung,
Dalam artikel itu, beliau percaya bahawa kerajaan Malaysia “nekad” untuk meninggalkan para pendaki di Gunung Kinabalu. Tuduhan itu tidak berasas dan perlu dijelaskan, Cik Dumlao, mungkin kerana trauma yang yang dilaluinya tidak menyedari apa yang sebenarnya telah berlaku. Pasukan Penyelamat dihantar dalam tiga kumpulan. Yang pertama dihantar pada 9.30 pagi, kedua pada 1.35 pagi dan yang ketiga pada 3.30 petang. Kumpulan pertama tiba di Kilometer 6.5, mereka terserempak dengan para pendaki yang cedera dan membawa mereka turun ke Laban Rata. Apabila dua lagi kumpulan tiba di Laban Rata, mereka dinasihatkan oleh malim gunung untuk tidak lagi mendaki ke atas. Ini kerana batu-batuan berjatuhan dan perubahan landskap gunung itu menyebabkan gunung itu menjadi kawasan yang berbahaya untuk dilalui dalam keadaan gelap.
Cik Dumlao menyebut bahawa lebih ramai orang dapat diselamatkan jika anggota penyelamat menjalankan tugas mereka dengan betul dan helikopter tiba dalam masa yang ditetapkan. Saya tidak menafikan pandangan beliau dan tidak juga mempertikaikan beliau. Walaubagaimanapun, melalui laporan hospital yang kami terima berkenaan dengan bedah siasat mangsa, mereka meninggal dunia sejurus kejadian itu berlaku. Sekali lagi, andaian Cik Dumlao adalah tidak betul.
Kami memahami apabila kita berhadapan dengan situasi buruk, masa seolah-olah terhenti, minit seperti berjam-jam lamanya, dan jam seperti berhari-hari. Kepada Cik Dumlao, pengalaman yang dilalui oleh beliau adalah sangat tragik dan menyedihkan. Apabila tragedi tersebut melanda, kita cenderung untuk menganggap bahawa segalanya tidak betul, saya tidak menyalahkan beliau. Keadaan yang dialami oleh beliau membuatkan dia memberi ulasan seperti itu. Malah mereka yang cedera juga begitu.
Walaubagaimanapun, saya berterima kasih kepada Cik Dumlao atas pengiktirafan terhadap usaha malim gunung. Jika bukan kerana pujian dan penghargaan yang diberikan oleh Cik Dumlao terhadap malim gunung, mereka ini tidak akan mendapat penghargaan yang sepatutnya mereka terima. Beliau telah membuatkan kita semua berbangga dengan mereka.
Pasukan Penyelamat Kerajaan juga harus mendapat pujian dan penghargaan. Saya faham disebabkan pandangan yang diberikan oleh Cik Dumlao dalam keadaan yang berbeza, beliau mungkin tidak menyedari usaha yang telah dilakukan, kerana beliau telah menerima bantuan dari malim gunung yang benar-benar menjalankan tugas mereka. Walaubagaimanapun, untuk pendaki terselamat yang lain seperi Encik Rahimi Hadzri yang diselamatkan oleh Pasukan Penyelamat Kerajaan,beliau memberikan penghargaan dan memuji kecekapan mereka dan mengakui mereka telah melakukan yang terbaik untuk menyelamatkan orang-orang yang terkandas di atas gunung.
Walaupun kedua-duanya, Cik Dumlao dan Encik Rahimi mempunyai pandangan yang berbeza berkenaan apa yang berlaku, itu tidak bermakna hanya satu daripada mereka yang benar. Fakta yang tidak boleh dipertikaikan ialah pasukan penyelamat dan malim gunung berkerjasama dalam menyelamatkan para pendaki yang terkandas. Cerita daripada kedua-dua pihak telah menunjukkan anggota penyelamat samada kerajaan atau bukan kerajaan telah membuktikan mereka berpengalaman, bertanggungjawab dan komited terhadap tugas mereka.
Datuk Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab
Setiausah, Majlis Keselamatan Negara
Jabatan Perdana Menteri
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VERSI ENGLISH
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SABAH EARTHQUAKE : ASSUMPTIONS, ALLEGATIONS, ACCUSATIONS
On the 5th of June 2015 Malaysia woke up to the tragedy of the Sabah Earthquake. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake that lasted 30 seconds hit Ranau, Sabah. However, the devastating loss that the earthquake caused lasted longer. At least 18 people died on Mount Kinabalu, while 137 were trapped on the Mountain before being rescued.
Social media has been flooded with prayers and condolences for the victims of the Sabah earthquake. One article, specifically written by an Australian Vee Jin Dumlao has gone viral. She recounts her harrowing experience being trapped on Mount Kinabalu, her guide who led her group to safety, and her condemnation of the rescue team for their supposedly slow response.
Miss Dumlao’s traumatic experience may have clouded her judgement on the actual efforts undertaken on the ground.
In her recounting of the events following the earthquake Ms. Dumlao stated that the skies were clear, making it possible for the helicopters to come and rescue them. She was upset that the helicopters didn’t come when they were supposed to. Ms. Dumlao was further frustrated when she was informed that they would only be able to rescue her and her group the following morning. From where Ms. Dumlao was standing the skies were probably clear. She was on top of the mountain. However, just below the peak of the mountain the skies were not clear, it was covered in a thick layer of clouds that were impenetrable. Helicopters were sent up as promised, the first one at 12.02 pm, but the helicopter was unable to pierce the clouds. Twice the helicopters tried. Both times they failed.
When the helicopters were able to finally penetrate the clouds much later in the afternoon, they were unable to land. The helicopter circled several times but because of the land conditions and the weather conditions it was unable to land safely without endangering everyone on the mountain. Their last resort was to air drop the food and the supplies. But, due to the weather being hostile, and the winds blowing strongly the pack got blown down to an inaccessible area. Ms. Dumlao believed this was done on purpose. The intention of the pilot was obviously to drop the supplies to the trekkers, however, due to the weather, the supplies were blown into the ravine.
In her article she believed that the Malaysian Government was ‘determined’ to leave the climbers on Mount Kinabalu. Such unfair allegations must be clarified, Ms. Dumlao, probably due to the trauma that she went through was not aware of what actually took place. Rescuers were sent in three batches. One at 9:30 am, the second at 1:35 pm, and the third at 3:30 pm. The first team reached KM 6.5, they met with a group who had injured trekkers and brought the group to the camp Laban Rata. When the other two teams reached Laban Rata they were advised by the guides to not go up further. The falling stones and the changing landscape of the mountain would make the Mountain a dangerous place to navigate in the dark.
Ms. Dumlao mentioned that many more people could have been rescued if the rescuers did their proper job and if the helicopters had gotten there in time. I don’t disregard her views and I don’t dispute her. However, from the hospital reports that we received relating to the post mortem of the victims, they died an instant death. Again, Miss Dumlao’s assumptions were incorrect.
It’s understandable when you’re faced with a horrible situation, time seems to stand still, minutes seem like hours, and hours seem like days. For Ms. Dumlao her experience on Mount Kinabalu was tragic and frustrating. When tragedy hits we tend to assume that everything is going wrong, I don’t blame her. The circumstances that she was under made her to comment in the way she did. Even if the losses could not be helped.
Nevertheless, I thank Miss Dumlao for the recognition of the efforts from the guides. If it were not for her praises these people would not have gotten the recognition and the praises that they deserve. The guides are known as the Malim Gunung and she has made us very proud of them.
The government rescuers also deserve praise and recognition. I understand that due to the fact that Miss Dumlao was under different circumstances, she did not realize their efforts, because she had the benefit of having a guide who was true to his duty. However, for other survivors such as Mr. Rahimi Hadzri the rescuers were given due recognition. Mr. Rahimi was rescued by the government rescue team and complimented them on their efficiency and acknowledged that they had done their best to rescue those who were stranded on the mountain.
Although both Miss Dumlao and Mr. Rahimi have different views of what happen, it doesn’t mean only one is the truth. The undisputed fact was that the rescue teams and the mountain guides worked together in order to save the stranded trekkers. The stories from both parties have shown that the rescuers, whether they were governmental or non-governmental, have proven that they are experienced, responsible and committed to their duty.
Datuk Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab
Secretary, National Security Council
Prime Minister’s Department.
