We expect round-the-clock accessibility and problem-free connections anywhere we are, failing which, the government and telecommunication companies, among others, will be taken to task.
Not for families in Kampung Panikuan, a remote village tucked inside the Matunggong sub-district in Sabah’s northernmost Kudat district.
There was little to no internet signal at the village, which has a population of 360, before last April when they finally got what they yearned for.
That is probably why the villagers there are relishing their somewhat new-found luxury. But they know not to let it get to their heads.
In January, FMT highlighted the daily struggles of young mother Sharifah Sharizah and her children having to walk to a hilltop 5km from their home to get internet connection so the children could attend online classes.
The children had practically been using the hill, covered by oil palm trees and overgrown grass, as their classroom the previous year. The internet signal was the strongest up there.
“Just two weeks after the report came out, workers hired by the government started trickling into our village to build a communication tower and install cables,” Sharifah told FMT.
She said it still took some time before the tower was commissioned and got the internet service up and going.
“But the signal eventually came in April and everyone in the village was excited to get to use their devices without having to go to certain spots to get reception.
“As for my family, my children don’t need to walk to the hilltop anymore but just take part in the online classes from the safety and comfort of our own home.”
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had said in a statement in July that nine communication towers were built in Sabah under the National Digital Network (Jendela) initiative.
Kampung Panikuan was among the eight villages in Kudat that received the towers which enabled faster and quality broadband services.
Besides getting help over connectivity issues, Sharifah said officers from the district education department also visited the families in her village to learn a bit more about their children’s learning difficulties.
“We are grateful to the government and its agencies as well as their staff who have taken interest in our plight,” she said.
She said villagers were also using the internet connection to improve their livelihoods as they were able to engage in various e-commerce activities.
“It took some time for help to come but we are nonetheless thankful and we can look forward to improving our lives now.
“Help has also poured in from individuals and NGOs who have sent items like smartphones and other gadgets as they were moved to read that children here lacked devices for online classes,” she said.
Sharifah said even people from afar like former five-time British motocross king Bryan Wade sent help all the way from Bristol, England, to her family after coming across the article.
“He sought help from local friends in Sabah to send zinc roofs for our house and also donated a new smartphone. We are touched by the gesture and we can’t thank him and others enough for their efforts and concern,” she said.
With connectivity issues now a thing of the past in Kampung Panikuan, Sharifah admitted that the ever available internet connection can be easily abused especially by children for online games.
“But I make sure my children mostly use the internet to get information and for learning. If they want to play, they can do so outside as I’d rather that be the case than them being glued to their devices.
“From what I have seen, some other parents here are also putting safeguards in place for their children because we all know this internet facility must not be used mainly for personal entertainment but ultimately utilised for their education,” she said.