According to a new article in the Malaysian newspaper, The New Straits Times, the ultimate motive of all of the recent news about the launch of the Johor Hominid website may have been revealed: a call for funding.

R. Sittamparam, writing in an article on July 15th, notes that Vincent Chow’s and Sean Ang’s website is petitioning UNESCO for “world heritage status.”

The news writer found that the website has

…started a signature campaign among Malaysians and the international community to support the petition, which will also be sent to the Government. The petition states that the discovery of close-up photographs of the hominids in Johor were grounds for the existence of a new species.

“However, time is running out. The lack of sufficient funding for research and continued deforestation of Johor’s jungles and Bigfoot hunting may put the hominids under threat,” the petition says.

Furthermore, Sittamparam adds:

The website states that with the confirmation of the Johor Hominid’s existence by international experts, Unesco should declare the creature as part of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Cryptomundo commentary: Unfortunately, the article and the website give forth with no new evidence, no publication of the alleged photographs, and no concrete justification for UNESCO to give protection to any new hominid species. This appears to be another publicity release that has overemphasized the existance of photographs that have only been discussed, sketched, and traced. To promote a petition at this point appears premature and ill-advised. The motives for Vincent Chow’s actions of late are hard to understand, unless he is the receipt of less than thoughtful advice from his new partner.

Is this a way to convince people to be patient? Is working on the future scientific publication of the photographs a goal of Chow’s efforts? What is to be gained regarding these objectives from a petition drive now, other than to drive people to a website and get publicity for a hoped-for look at alleged photographs that are being withheld?

How can Chow and Ang be seriously stating that “the discovery of close-up photographs of the hominids in Johor [are] grounds for the existence of a new species,” if only a few have seen these photos? Does not such a position speak more to blind faith versus this being part of the scientific process?

Is this cryptozoology or cryptopolitics?

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