Do not turn a blind eye to environmental issues, cautions former minister

ENVIRONMENTAL protection is an urgent issue politicians in the country must tackle, apart from the economy and other pressing matters, said the former Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister.

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said that before the last general election in 2022, there was a town hall session with voters, dominated by environmental issues, specifically on the political will to tackle climate change.

His advice to his successor in the ministry, Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup from Sabah, is to pay more attention, especially to "low hanging fruits" (accessible issues), which can be incorporated into daily policy directions.

In a recent interview to mark his exit from the ministry, Nik Nazmi said that climate change and its effects are not going away, despite what others may want to preach.

"Climate change is here to stay, and judging from the constant flooding, which is now part and parcel of the daily lives of Malaysians, it is something which warrants urgent attention," said Nik Nazmi, a former PKR vice-president.

While environmental issues may not be as impactful as in some developed nations, Nik Nazmi said that Malaysians are growing sensitive to Mother Nature's needs.

"I think we could have done more on the low hanging fruits, such as plastic waste and tighter enforcement on polluters."

His version of the "low hanging fruits" includes indiscriminate waste dumping, plastic reduction / illegal waste processing, climate change awareness and tighter enforcement overall.

Nik Nazmi said that political parties need to realise that climate change needs every form of cooperation and the political will to be addressed effectively.

"The young, especially, are all for sustainability from renewable energy to water management and recycling," said Nik Nazmi.

He said that more can be done by the authorities to help mitigate climate change, but the responsibility also lies with private - public collaboration.

In Penang, the civil societies are up in arms with what they perceive to be the insensitivity of the state government towards the environment, with the approval for grand infrastructure and major reclamation works.

Penang Forum committee member Lim Mah Hui said that the next challenge which the civil society movement must confront is the possible redevelopment of the Penang Turf Club, which is one of the remaining green lungs in George Town.

The turf club is now officially closed, and its committee of owners have decided to sell the land to the highest bidders, who are poised to redevelop the area in Batu Gantong into a commercial and housing enclave.

Lim said that there is more than enough new properties, pointing out that many of such units go unoccupied and it is a sore sight to see a towering building with no real occupants inside, especially in the evenings.

Lim expects the environment and traffic congestion to become major issues when the next general election swings around soon. - January 14, 2026.