KOTA KINABALU – Revisions on the legal requirements of the controversial Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA) signed in October 2021 have been completed, said Sabah deputy chief minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
“The revisions have been settled. Everything is now moving forward. Things have been overtaken by events. We are all now working together,” Jeffrey told reporters after launching the Heart of Borneo Conference here today.
Jeffrey was referring to the carbon trade deal signed on October 28, 2021 with Singapore-based Hoch Standard’s project director and strategic funder Dr Ho Choon Hou, which had gone viral early last year.
Asked whether the agreement has met all the legal requirements, Jeffrey said: “It is not an issue.”
The signing of the NCA deal drew criticism from numerous groups, with them alleging the agreement was signed in secrecy, when news that the agreement had been endorsed early last year was released.
Sabah Attorney-General Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof had also issued a statement, saying the NCA was “legally impotent” as it has yet to meet all legal requirements.
Jeffrey later alleged that “someone is playing games” and had used the AG’s office to release statements directly to the press to make such claims.
When asked over the NCA’s status, Asiah, who was also present at the Heart of Borneo conference today, said: “We are still in the midst of discussions.”
A former senator had filed a judicial review to challenge the NCA’s legality, while more recently, a group of civil societies had also expressed the same intention.
Under the carbon trading deal, Sabah will set aside up to two million hectares of Sabah forests for 100 years for carbon exchange.
The proceeds will be divided 70:30 between the state government and Hoch Standard Pte Ltd.
Kitingan said the state can raise between RM2.2 billion to RM5.6 billion annually from carbon trading alone.
The deal will see 600,000 hectares set aside for the pilot programme and later expanded to 2 million hectares. – The Vibes, August 28, 2023
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