Apas assemblyman Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan asked if the government’s departure from the previous administration’s focus on protected lands under “Totally Protected Areas” (TPAs) was good for Sabah’s environmental conservation.
Chief Minister Shafie Apdal, who is also the state finance minister, had said Sabah was working towards a land-use plan that would address the dual needs of development and conservation.
Sabah is home to one of the most ancient ecosystems in the world, including the Maliau Basin and Danum Valley which have some of the most important areas for tropical biodiversity globally.
“The Barisan Nasional (BN) government fought to preserve and protect the natural heritage and rich ecosystem that has become a world attraction.
“But now the government’s land-use plan for development and conservation in Class 1 forest reserves is suspicious and can threaten the sustainability of these areas,” Nizam said.
He said besides BN, other governments such as Usno, Berjaya and PBS also avoided touching these pristine areas.
He urged the Warisan-Pakatan Harapan government to continue the 30% TPA policy previously applied.
PBS’ Kiulu assemblyman Joniston Bangkuai also asked whether the 30% TPA policy would be stopped.
“We are known worldwide as a trailblazer in conservation. We need clarification on this.
“I also urge the government to maintain the stand (by previous governments) not to go ahead with coal mining. We have other alternative sources of power apart from coal. We have tremendous amounts of natural gas that we can exploit,” he said.
Bangkuai also asked how much longer negotiations between the state and Petronas on the 20% oil royalty to Sabah would take.
“I want to ask the chief minister, we know this is a complex issue, but when will the discussions come to an end? Will it take two or three years, or maybe next year?
“I remember asking in a previous sitting about this, whether there was a time frame, and the chief minister was very optimistic. (He said) hopefully before the end of the year. Sabahans are all eager to know,” he said.
Bangkuai also welcomed the high-level committees formed to look into the Malaysia Agreement 1963 but noted that these approaches were not new.
“Successive governments and chief ministers brought it up. If we recall, during the PBS administration from 1985-1994, the government was very vocal on the issue until the leadership was labeled as anti-federal.”
He said the prime minister at that time was also Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“Maybe now there is renewed awareness and it’s the hope of Sabahans that there will finally be a resolution to this issue.
“Let’s put aside political differences and move forward together,” he said.
By Durie Rainer Fong
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