KOTA KINABALU – The undisclosed details in Sabah’s Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA) has prompted Warisan to push for the state cabinet to produce a white paper on the controversial carbon trade deal.
Warisan secretary-general Datuk Loretto Padua Jr said Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan cannot use the excuse of “for the sake of Sabah” to justify his signing of the carbon trade deal “in secret”.
“Since Jeffrey said the NCA has been agreed by the federal government and has been approved by the Sabah chief minister, then the NCA is now a collective responsibility of the state cabinet.
“We now know that the state cabinet is aware of the agreement from the start. So, we want a white paper on NCA to be issued by the Sabah government, and not just an explanation from Jeffrey,” Padua said in a statement today.
Padua was responding to an article by The Vibes that reported Jeffrey saying that the NCA should be implemented soon before the federal government imposes a law that could give it the authority to oversee the carbon trade in Sabah.
“Jeffrey said that Sabah must act fast so that the state government could have the authority over carbon trading in the state so that the revenue will not fall into the hands of others.
“He is using this excuse so Warisan will support this in the state legislative assembly because it aims to defend Sabah’s rights,” Padua said.
He added that Jeffrey did not explain the federal law on carbon trade that could affect Sabah, but only referred to the Climate Change Act that is enacted by the Environment and Water Ministry, as well as the federal government’s efforts to push for carbon trading in the country this year.
“I would like to stress that before any parliamentary act relating to carbon trade could be imposed in Sabah, the federal government must first get two-third approval from the Sabah assembly and federal constitution’s Article 74(2), 76(3), 76A(2), 77FC, 88(b), 161E(2)(c), are among mechanisms that protect Sabah.
“Warisan will not hesitate to oppose any federal regulation or effort that would go against the articles on forest and agriculture stated in 21 articles in the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
“Warisan’s MA63 bureau will look into the details of Jeffrey’s claims on the federal law (on carbon trade) in the nearest time,” he added.
Jeffrey yesterday issued a plea for the immediate implementation of the NCA before the new law comes into force.
“Although land and forests come under the state’s purview, if we can lose our oil and gas revenues, then we can lose this one as well.
“There are now moves being devised at the federal level to enact a law to control carbon credits. So this is why we need to act fast, do it before the federal government has the overall control.” – The Vibes, February 8, 2022
