KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah government has denied the allegation that it will be cutting down all trees on land previously under Sabah Forest Industries Sdn Bhd (SFI) for timber export after the company’s logging contract was terminated on September 1.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Md Noor (Sulaman-Bersatu) told the state assembly today that the state government has not decided to allow the cutting down of trees or their export, or to find any contractor to replace the company’s SFI contract, which was terminated for the public interest.
He was answering Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal’s (Senallang-Warisan) question on speculation that the matter would deny Sabah the opportunity to have its own paper factory.
The matter involves a total of 47ha of industrial tree plantation, an area that had been earmarked for forest development.
Earlier, Hajiji in his winding-up speech said the government had terminated SFI’s licence to protect the public interest and free the area from any problematic sales and purchase agreements.
“This concession area is Sabah’s right that we cannot trade, and we have the right to determine the usage of our forest resources for the interest of the public and workers.
“The government is now carrying out several initiatives to start upstream and downstream operations in the area, and they will be conducted as soon as possible to ensure that the forest resources will be managed, factories can be reactivated, and affected SFI workers can be reinstated,” he said.
The Vibes on April 18 highlighted the non-payment of salaries of 2,000 SFI staff since February, and Hajiji has promised to resolve the matter.
SFI had previously struggled with ownership conflicts, causing the company to operate without an official owner since May 2018. – The Vibes, September 23, 2021
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