A report was made at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Ipoh on Monday, February 10, pertaining to the issuance of a permit to log in the Kledang Saiong and Bukit Kinta forest reserves.
An official letter stating that the state government had approved a forest plantation development was leaked and it went viral recently.
The permit to log 400 hectares of forest land was given to a company with a paid-up capital of RM2. The company concerned has no previous logging experience.
According to Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, the land is not part of a reserved forest but is within a secondary jungle.
Thomas Su, the Member of Parliament for Kampar along with some DAP members and representatives from non- governmental organisations gathered in front of the MACC Perak office, Ipoh for a press conference before making the report.
“There shouldn’t be any logging activities done on our forests. The Perak MB once said that illegal logging should be banned throughout the state,” Thomas Su insisted.
“So much land has been allotted to a dubious company that was formed last year for a 50-year lease with a yearly license renewal term. The MB should cancel this license immediately.
“Cases like this should be done via an open tender so there is transparency. There are no records of the company. We’re not sure who is responsible for the logging activities,” said Thomas.
Secretary of PEKA (Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam) Perak, Naomi Samson said that reserved forest should not be disturbed for whatever purposes. It’s essential to end all illegal logging activities as soon as possible.
“There should be an investigation on how and why the permit was released. We need to know all parties involved besides that State Forestry Department that was involved in awarding this land,” she added.
Joelyn Jonathan
