Knowledge on traditional healing…
Posted on 12. Nov, 2004 by Allan Dumbong in Press
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan has proposed that an ethnobotany traditional knowledge academy be set up in Sabah.
He said the traditional knowledge, particularly in medicine utilising the abundant natural forest resources in Sabah and practised by natives such as the Bobohizan (priestess) and witchdoctors, could contribute to the State’s economy.
Pairin said the Bobohizan, who are known to be the most knowledgeable in traditional medicine practice using herbs, were diminishing and their craft might become extinct if no serious efforts were taken to preserve this heritage.
“I am of the opinion that co-operation between the Government and NGOs could be implemented in order to achieve our objectives in preserving the traditional knowledge heritage, including the traditional medicinal information,” he said. Pairin, who is also Rural Development Minister, was speaking at the launch of the Seminar on “Ethnobotany: Issues and Challenges in Documenting Traditional Medicine Information” organised by the Institute for Development Studies (IDS), at the Perkasa Hotel in Tenom, Tuesday.
He also agreed with IDS Chairman, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, that a standard or benchmark was vital in the efforts to document traditional medicine information. China has its own traditional medicine collection called Shennong, while India has its own Ayurveda, and so Pairin said Sabah needs to have its own collection or pharmacopoeia.
With the pharmacopoeia and academy set up, he said the people would have the information needed for practitioners, which in turn would enable them to be registered with the Traditional and Complimentary Medicine Council under the Health Ministry.
Apart from the Government and universities, Pairin said NGOs like the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) and Partners of Community Organisation Sabah (Pacos) had been focusing on the issues involving traditional information such as intellectual rights and its protection, native community rights and bio-piracy.
Bio-piracy, he said, was a negative issue where some individuals, especially outsiders, came here to steal the native knowledge.
“Such discovery has resulted in big profit to the colonists while, on the other hand, the native country does not earn anything. This created injustice and unfortunately this remains until today,” he said.
However, Pairin said the State Government, in emulating its Federal counterpart, had in 2000 formulated the Sabah Biodiversity Enactment that, among others, provided for the setting up of the Sabah Biodiversity Centre.
It functions as the centre of information dissemination to the government agencies, public departments and people, apart from being responsible for the management and sustainable utilisation of the biodiversity resources in Sabah.
It is estimated that about two-third or at least 35,000 plants in the world have medicinal value, while in Malaysia there are about 4,000, some yet to be scientifically identified but used by the various ethnic groups.
“With such vast knowledge, we have the strength and opportunities to further develop the herb industry,” he said.
Earlier, Pandikar said the World Bank estimated that the industry would be worth US$200 billion in year 2008 and US$5 trillion by the year 2050, while the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that between 65 and 80 per cent of the world’s population were taking traditional medicine as the main healthcare product.
In this respect, he said the traditional medicine often dubbed by the western countries as Green Gold was now in a dilemma due to the issues and challenges in order to strike mutual benefits among all.
Communication problem, unwillingness to cooperate by the medicinal practitioners, indigenous property rights (IPR) and extinction of some species of herbs had been the missing link in the documentation efforts of traditional medicines.
Source: Daily Express Oct 6th 2004
