Why did I always think Gaya Island was a den of criminals and other undesirables?They're all illegal immigrants; they don't have id, there's no way to identify them if they commit crimes; they have weapons and M16s imported illegally from the Phillippines; even the local police are afraid of them because of their superior firepower.
Image of a lawless place overrun by pirates and criminals? Yeah.
Still I personally had never been mugged in Sabah, by Gaya inhabitants or other, though my parents' home was robbed once when they were away for a month. And that's once in their over 60 years' life in Sabah.
Is this urban legend spread by word-of-mouth? When everyone says it, it's automatically considered the truth? I'm sure psychologists and sociologists have studied this phenomenon in detail. And it's probably a protective instinct, saving people from testing potentially dangerous activities or going to dangerous places. But it is rather limiting, and reliability of information is at question.
Well, all I can say is for me personally, I'll be looking at my prejudices a bit more closely before taking them as fact next time. And if I don't, I'm sure K will find a way to bump me out of them. (to be continued...)
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