KUALA LUMPUR – The Green Party Malaysia (TGP), a yet-to-be registered political party focusing on environmental matters, has urged the new government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to fulfil Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) election manifesto on green issues.
TGP pro-tem secretary Abdul Razak Ismail said in a statement today that the federal government led by Anwar, who is also PH chairman and PKR president, should immediately work on PH’s promises to care for the environment by giving funds to state governments.
“An allocation of at least RM1 billion should be given to state governments as an incentive to avoid the degazettement of forest reserves in each state,” said Razak, who was former secretary of the PKR veterans group Otai Reformis 1998.
Along with this, he raised concern over a newspaper advertisement apparently placed by the Negri Sembilan Forestry Department that said tender documents could be purchased from the state Forestry Department from October 5, 2022. However, the submission date according to the ad is before or on October 26, 2020 – possibly a typo. The tenders are to conduct logging activities in a permanent forest reserve for the year 2022.
The Vibes has contacted the state Forestry Department as well as Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun for comment on the matter and is awaiting a response.
It should be noted, however, that Aminuddin in August this year said the state would not be issuing logging licenses this year, even though this would affect annual revenue.
Razak also highlighted concerning issues in Selangor, noting the state government’s plans to carry out various development projects in six areas, “including forest reserves as well as private or government agency-owned forests which have ecosystems and habitats that are at risk of destruction.”
In October, Razak had urged Anwar to pay more attention to the sustainable management of Selangor’s forests, warning that failure to do so could jeopardise PH’s reputation in the state.
Negri Sembilan and Selangor are two of three states governed by PH, with Penang being the third state under the coalition’s belt.
Additionally, Razak said that the government should also take proactive measures against climate change by heeding the warnings issued by Gabungan Darurat Iklim Malaysia and declaring a climate emergency.
This, he said, is to prepare for the imminent environmental destruction looming ever closer due to climate change. – The Vibes, November 30, 2022
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