Explaining the problems of tourism in Kundasang, Sabah: the strengths and limitations of the positivist perspective

This paper is basically an attempt to explicate the problematique of tourism in Kundasang (Sabah) from the epistemological standpoint of positivism. The objectives are (i) to present several empirical aspects of the problems besetting the tourism industry in the study area, (ii) to account for those problems or shortcomings from the positivist perspective, and (iii) to show how more meaningful explanations could and should be obtained from epistemological perspectives other than positivism. It is found that the strength of the positivist perspective is in the empirical identification of three main factors that have led to the failure of the tourist industry as a development catalyst for Kundasang, namely the lethargic growth of the urban centre, leakages of incomes from the area, and the low level of positive attitudes and behaviour on the part of the local populace.In contrast, the positivist perspective is found to be unable to frame and answer two fundamental critical questions that underline the problems and failure of the Kundasang tourist industry, viz: (a) why did the investment that flowed into Kundasang fail to generate the economic multiplier and spread effects at the local level?; and (b) why did the significant presence of migrant foreign workers not contribute to the growth of the retail and urban services in Kundasang? The paper concludes that answering such questions necessitates the application of non-positivist epistemologie

Food security challenges during and post movement restrictions of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia

Following the global health crisis brought about by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which causes COVID-19, food security has become or will become an issue in most countries.  Most countries have some form of movement restrictions in place as a public health measure to ‘flatten the curve’, i.e., to slow down the community spread and thus avoiding as much as possible overwhelming the capacity of health services to treat patients. In most countries, movement restrictions excluded transportation and movement of food and agricultural produce.  However in reality, the supply chain of food from farm to table was disrupted. Most consumers in Southeast Asia rely on retail supply chains other than supermarkets and hypermarkets. These include grocery shops, road side stalls and pop-up weekly markets which are usually supplied by smallholder farmers. During movement restriction orders, low income consumers and smallholder farmers experienced food insecurity.  For the latter, they had piles of unsellable vegetables and fruits which compromised their ability to replant the next batch of crops; thus plunging them into economic hardship.  Policy makers should consider a new supply chain model that connects farmers directly to consumers as movement restriction orders have shown that the old model of farmers - middlemen - consumers was problematic. Post COVID-19 pandemic, food security planning must take into account climate change and livelihood of smallholder farmers, other than issues of availability, affordability, accessibility and utilisation.  Generally Southeast Asian countries have yet to achieve resilience to climate change.  Post pandemic, agriculture extension work that includes processing of harvests could be considered to increase the livelihood of smallholder farmers, as well as monetising farm work which had usually been unpaid.  Addressing food security for all should include the lowest denominator that are most vulnerable, which in many places are low income households including smallholder farmers, women and particularly low income women, and foreign manual workers

Seasonal Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) variability using satellite data and its comparison over Saudi Arabia for the period 2002–2013

This study analyzes the spatiotemporal variations of seasonal Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Deep Blue (DB) AOD at 550 nm from the Aqua satellite over Saudi Arabia for the period 2002‒2013. Satellite retrieved AOD is also compared with AERONET AOD over the Solar Village and KAUST station. The result of the seasonal AOD spatial distribution shows that the peak AOD value of 0.6 is observed over Hafr Al Batin, Riyadh, and the Rub Al Khali desert during spring, whereas the Gizan area shows the peak AOD during summer. In contrast, the autumn shows the peak AOD value of 0.5 over Dhahran and in the proximity of Jeddah, whereas Hafr Al Batin, Al Khafji, Al Jubail, and the Rub Al Khali desert show the peak AOD value of 0.4 in winter. Regression analysis shows the AOD increasing trends during spring, summer, and autumn (except for winter) over the entire Saudi Arabia. Over the Solar Village, the AOD increasing trends are also noted during spring and summer, whereas autumn and winter display the AOD decreasing trends. The AOD increasing trends are displayed in all seasons over KAUST. Hence, the AOD increasing/decreasing trends indicate that the number of dust storms either increases or decreases over these regions. Over the Solar Village, the correlation values for MODIS DB AOD versus AERONET AOD are 0.77 (spring), 0.62 (summer), 0.65 (autumn), and 0.75 (winter). Likewise, over KAUST, the correlation values for the same pairing are 0.85 (spring), 0.71 (summer), 0.81 (autumn), and 0.89 (winter). The incorrect aerosol model selection and imperfect surface reflectance calculation are responsible for reducing the correlation. Therefore, this study recommends that the DB algorithm can be used effectively to detect AOD over Saudi Arabia, which will further help to improve the MODIS DB AOD product utilizing the next version of the algorithm

Sumber semulajadi dan kepentingannya terhadap sosioekonomi komuniti pesisir Pantai Timur Sabah.

Persoalan yang sering diutarakan berkait dengan sumber semula jadi pesisir pantai adalah tentang kemampuannya menyumbang kesejahteraan hidup masyarakat. Lazimnya, sumber semula jadi di pesisir bukan sahaja penting dalam menjana peningkatan ekonomi, tetapi juga sebagai sumber makanan, menjadi asas kepada pengukuhan hubungan sosial dan jaringan keselamatan antara penduduk, serta berguna dalam aktiviti penyembuhan penyakit dan ritual tradisional. Justeru, artikel ini membincangkan kepentingan sumber semula jadi di pesisir pantai timur Sabah terhadap kehidupan sosioekonomi masyarakat di kawasan tersebut. Kajian bersifat kualitatif telah dilakukan melalui kaedah temu bual berstruktur menggunakan borang soal selidik terhadap seramai 411 orang responden. Turut dilaksanakan ialah temu bual mendalam (in-depth interview) dan pemerhatian. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan sumber semula jadi (flora dan fauna) di pesisir pantai timur Sabah sememangnya mempunyai pelbagai kepentingan. Sumber tersebut bukan sahaja berjaya memacu peningkatan ekonomi komuniti nelayan tetapi juga berguna dalam konteks kehidupan sosial mereka

Sumber semula jadi dan kepentingannya terhadap sosioekonomi komuniti pesisir pantai timur Sabah

Persoalan yang sering diutarakan berkait dengan sumber semula jadi pesisir pantai adalah tentang kemampuannya menyumbang kesejahteraan hidup masyarakat. Lazimnya, sumber semula jadi di pesisir bukan sahaja penting dalam menjana peningkatan ekonomi, tetapi juga sebagai sumber makanan, menjadi asas kepada pengukuhan hubungan sosial dan jaringan keselamatan antara penduduk, serta berguna dalam aktiviti penyembuhan penyakit dan ritual tradisional. Justeru, artikel ini membincangkan kepentingan sumber semula jadi di pesisir pantai timur Sabah terhadap kehidupan sosioekonomi masyarakat di kawasan tersebut. Kajian bersifat kualitatif telah dilakukan melalui kaedah temu bual berstruktur menggunakan borang soal selidik terhadap seramai 411 orang responden. Turut dilaksanakan ialah temu bual mendalam (in-depth interview) dan pemerhatian. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan sumber semula jadi (flora dan fauna) di pesisir pantai timur Sabah sememangnya mempunyai pelbagai kepentingan. Sumber tersebut bukan sahaja berjaya memacu peningkatan ekonomi komuniti nelayan tetapi juga berguna dalam konteks kehidupan sosial mereka

Assessment of uncertainties in projected temperature and precipitation over the Arabian Peninsula using three categories of CMIP5 multimodel ensembles

Background: Projections of temperature and precipitation with low uncertainties are key parameters to climate change related studies. Purpose: The projected temperature and precipitation and their uncertainties over the Arabian Peninsula for the 21st century for three CMIP5 multimodel ensembles under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 are examined in this paper. Methods: Analyzing the performance of 30 CMIP5 model individually, they are categorized into three groups for the present climate (1976–2005). By applying simple model averaging ensemble method, three multimodel ensemble means, namely: (i) all CMIP5 models ensemble (AME), (ii) selected CMIP5 models ensemble (SME), and (iii) best-performing CMIP5 models ensemble (BME) are developed. Results Over the Arabian Peninsula, a continuous rise in temperature is obtained in all three ensembles (i.e., AME, SME, and BME) in the 21st century. The BME shows enhanced changes in temperature at the end of 21st century as compared to AME and SME. Moreover, the BME shows a remarkable reduction in uncertainties for the projected temperature. The AME, SME, and BME show strong inter-annual variability for the projected precipitation over the peninsula. Compared to AME and SME, the BME revealed enhanced positive change in the annual mean precipitation by the end of 21st century. Conclusions: Regionally, southern/northwestern areas of the peninsula receive enhanced/reduced future precipitation as compared to the present climate. The diferences in the projected precipitation and temperature signals increase largely between the three ensembles towards the end of 21st century. Therefore, it is concluded that selecting the best-performing models may lead a better planning by the policy makers and stakeholder for the region

Detection and mapping of May 2021 flood in Beaufort, Sabah using Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 multispectral in Google Earth Engine

Recurring floods severely impacted the livelihood and socio-economic. It causes disruption of clean water, electricity, communications, properties damages and sometimes loss of life. Information on flooded areas is crucial for effective emergency responses support. In this study we used Sentinel 1 (S-1) C-band and Sentinel 2 (S-2) Multispectral satellite imageries where wider area covered in 12 days repeat satellite pass. The flood event on the 26 May 2021 was identified and we retrieved the S-1 GRD SAR imagery and S-2 level-2A BOA in GEE environment. We analysed the S-1 VV, VH, VV/VH imagery by pixels clustering using object based SNIC classification and Machine Learning (ML) algorithm for extraction of waterbody. Meanwhile for the S-2 we used MNDWI and extracted the waterbody area using thresholding value. We obtained the final flooded area of S-1 and S-2 by subtraction with permanent waterbody. The S-2 flood estimation results were better than S-1. However, S-2 limited to cloud free and less cloudy coverage while S-1 lacking of ability to identify flood in detailed was influenced by slope shadow area. This study provides the basis of detection and mapping floods using S-1 and S-2 imageries through Machine Learning techniques in GEE for local scope of Sabah, Borneo region and Malaysia

Assessment of uncertainties in projected temperature and precipitation over the Arabian Peninsula a comparison between different categories of CMIP3 models

Background: This paper examined the level of uncertainties in precipitation and temperature simulations by Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 3 (CMIP3) over the Arabian Peninsula. Purpose: Different techniques are employed to assess the ranges of uncertainties in projected temperature and precipitation over the Arabian Peninsula. Methods: For the present climate (1970–1999), the 22 CMIP3 models are grouped into four out of which two main categories, i) all models ensemble and ii) best performing models ensemble, are used to assess the uncertainties in the future temperature and precipitation over the Arabian Peninsula. Results: The CMIP3 ensemble projections for the above two main categories revealed a continuous increase in temperature over the peninsula during the 21st century. For the period 2070–2099, the all (best performing) models ensemble revealed an increase in temperature by 2.32 ± 2.45 (3.85 ± 1.54), 3.49 ± 2.49 (4.91 ± 1.61), and 3.28 ± 1.47 (5.36 ± 1.47) C, relative to the present climate, under the B1, A1B, and A2 scenario, respectively, while the intermodel ranges are projected to be from -3.36 to 6.08 (0.84 to 5.96), -2.26 to 7.68 (1.94 to 7.29), and -1.79 to 7.40 (2.75 to 7.10) C, respectively. Meanwhile, for the same period, the annual precipitation is projected to increase by 5.16 ± 30 (3.2 ± 25), 10.48 ± 34 (1.82 ± 28), and 15.29 ± 43 (5.3 ± 32)%, relative to the present climate under the B1, A1B, and A2 scenario, while the intermodel ranges are projected to be from -94 to 265 (-71 to 175), -95 to 322 (-74 to 205), and -95 to 375 (-75 to 235)%, respectively, for all (best performing) models ensemble. Conclusion The uncertainty of projected temperature and precipitation is reduced in the best performing models ensemble compared to the all models. At annual scale, surplus (deficit) precipitation pattern is projected across southern and southwestern (northern and northwestern) parts of the peninsula. The above results indicate that a better choice of models from the CMIP3 database could reduce the uncertainty range associated with future projections over the Arabian Peninsula

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Malaysia: Exploring factors and identifying highly vulnerable groups

Vaccine hesitancy is a global health challenge in controlling the virulence of pandemics. The prevalence of vaccine hesitancy will put highly vulnerable groups, such as the elderly or groups with pre-existing health conditions, at a higher risk, as seen with the outbreak of the pandemic Covid-19. Based on the trends of vaccine hesitancy in the state of Sabah, located in East Malaysia, this study seeks to identify several variables that contribute to vaccine hesitancy. In addition to this, this study also determines which groups are affected by vaccine hesitancy based on their demographics. This study is based on a sampling of 1,024 Sabahan population aged 18 and above through an online and face-to-face questionnaire. The raw data was analysed using the K-Means Clustering Analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test, and frequency. The K-Means Clustering found that more than half of the total number of respondents (Cluster 2 = 51.9%) tend to demonstrate vaccine hesitancy. Based on the PCA analysis, six main factors were found to cause vaccine hesitancy in Sabah: confidence (var(X) = 21.6%), the influence of local authority (var(X) = 12.1%), ineffectiveness of mainstream media (var(X) = 8.4%), complacency (var(X) = 7.4%), social media (var(X) = 6.4%), and convenience issues (var(X) = 5.8%). Findings from both Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests demonstrate that several factors of group demographics, such as employment status, level of education, religion, gender, and marital status, may explain the indicator of vaccine hesitancy. In particular, specific groups tend to become vaccine hesitancy such as, unemployed, self-employed, students, male, single, level of education, and Muslim. Findings from this empirical study are crucial to inform the relevant local authorities on the level of vulnerability among certain groups in facing the hazards of COVID-19. The main contribution of this study is that it seeks to analyse the factors behind vaccine hesitancy and identifies which groups more likely hesitant toward vaccines based on their demographics

Virtual Learning during COVID-19: Exploring Challenges and Identifying Highly Vulnerable Groups Based on Location

Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020, educational platforms have been forced to change and adapt from conventional physical learning to virtual learning. Nearly all higher learning institutions worldwide are forced to follow the new educational setting through virtual platforms. Sabah is one of the poorest states in Malaysia with the poorest infrastructure, with the technology and communication facilities in the state remaining inept. With the changes in virtual platforms in all higher education institutions in Malaysia, higher learning institutions in Sabah are expected to follow the lead, despite the state lagging in its development. This has certainly impacted the overall productivity and performance of students in Sabah. Therefore, this study aims to explore the challenges of the implementation of virtual learning among students in Sabah. More specifically, this study seeks to identify vulnerable groups among students based on their geographical location. To achieve the objective of this study, a survey has been conducted on a total of 1,371 students in both private and public higher learning institutions in Sabah. The sample selection for this study was determined using a purposive sampling technique. Based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA), it was found that there are five challenges in virtual learning faced by students in higher learning institutions in Sabah. These are the unconducive learning environment (var(X) = 20.12%), the deterioration of physical health (var(X) = 13.40%), the decline of mental health (var(X) = 12.10%), the limited educational facilities (var(X) = 10.14%) and social isolation (var(X) = 7.47%). The K-Means Clustering analysis found that there are six student clusters in Sabah (Cluster A, B, C, D, E & F), each of which faces different challenges in participating in virtual learning. Based on the assessment of location, almost half of the total number of districts in Sabah are dominated by students from Cluster A (9 districts) and Cluster B (4 districts). More worryingly, both Cluster A and Cluster B are classified as highly vulnerable groups in relation to the implementation of virtual learning. The results of this study can be used by the local authorities and policymakers in Malaysia to improve the implementation of virtual learning in Sabah so that the education system can be more effective and systematic. Additionally, the improvement and empowerment of the learning environment are crucial to ensuring education is accessible and inclusive for all societies, in line with the fourth of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-4)