ENVIRONMENTAL and pressure groups have urged Yang di-Pertuan Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to pressure the government to gazette the central forest spine of the Titiwangsa range as a national park after the recent flooding, which they have associated with deforestation.

In a memorandum submitted to the king, the groups also urged the federal government to take over the management of the range.

Other demands also included imposing an immediate moratorium on timber and mining concession licences in permanent forest reserves and government forests in all states for a period of 25 years.

It also demanded that adequate funding be given to strengthening post-flood relief operations, which must be combined with an accurate assessment of losses and the provision of financial assistance fairly and equitably regardless of race or ethnicity.

“The annual flooding has become a sort of celebration now, so we urge the King to intervene and pressure Putrajaya to act now for the future generation,” said Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil, president of Pertubuhan Perlindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka).

“We urge the government to also amend certain provisions under the Forestry Act 1984, which includes a heavier punishment of climate criminals such as a RM10 million fine and a prison sentence of five to 30 years, or both,” she said.

“We would also like for the powers of the state government in managing our forests to be limited,” she said.

Shariffa also said the government should make it compulsory for all states to set up a town hall or public hearing by a national council of forestry experts to hear complaints regarding the actions of state governments in handling the forests.

Shariffa, who previously called for a ban on commercial logging to prevent devastating floods, hoped that the submission of the memorandum to the Royal Palace would push the government to take matters more seriously.

The other groups present at the event today were also Otai Reformis, Green Peace Malaysia, Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia and Harapan Empati Aduan Rakyat.

Previously, Abim and Peka organsied the Henti Balak online petition to urge the government to impose a moratorium or immediate cessation of logging.

The petition has so far garnered more than 200,000 signatures.

The memorandum also called for environmental experts to chair relevant ministerial positions like the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources as well the Ministry of Environment and Water, which are currently headed by Takiyuddin Hassan and Tuan Man Tuan Ibrahim respectively.

Both ministers have denied accusations that deforestation was behind the cause of the floods.

The continuous rain on December 18 and 19 caused widespread flooding in seven states with Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Pahang badly hit.

The floods claimed 55 lives and left more than 70,000 people displaced. Environmentalists have associated the flooding with excessive logging based on logs flowing in rivers and roads during the floods.

They also said while the country is said to have more than 50% of forested area, it is estimated that only 18% or less is virgin forest. – January 22, 2022.