AN environmentalist group has urged the Kelantan government to look for other methods to generate income instead of allowing logging activities, especially on Orang Asli land.

Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) president Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said logging activities would only benefit certain parties but would be harmful to mother nature.

“We from Peka are sad when we see forest after forest destroyed. In Kelantan, it is the worst where it even affects the Orang Asli from finding food.

“We don’t understand why the leaders have no other methods to generate income other than logging, which will only bring disaster and the people will also suffer.

“If the leaders love nature, natural disasters (in Kelantan) will not happen. We must love our forests as it is our country’s most beautiful and oldest treasure. Why would our leaders not have the love to save nature?” Shariffa told The Malaysian Insight.

She was referring to a protest by Orang Asli from six villages, who had formed a blockade in Gua Musang, Kelantan last week to object to uncontrolled logging in forest reserve areas.

They claimed there were parties trespassing on their land and had formed their own reserve at Chawas, Tohoi and Kuala Wok.

It is understood that the trespassers are logging the area and are also carrying out commercial farming.

Meanwhile, eco-activist Amlir Ayat said the logging issue should be solved immediately due to its long-term effects on the ecosystem.

“Regarding logging, I have no specific details, but if it was on Orang Asli land, there should be negotiations despite it being state-owned land.

“The forest reserve has to be maintained or natural disasters will occur.

“The state government should find a solution. Kelantan may have problems in terms of finance, and logging is a quick way to find money.

“But we must be sure that it is worth it,” said Amlir, the former project executant of World Wildlife Fund Malaysia’s (WWF-Malaysia) tiger conservation programme.

Echoing Amlir was Lim Teck Wyn, a researcher of the indigenous people from Nottingham University, who said the rights of the Orang Asli must be respected in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the right of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) which had been signed by the government.

“UNDRIP was a declaration that was signed by the government of Malaysia. It needs to be used by Malaysia as a form of protection and enforcement towards the rights of the indigenous minority here,” said the Malaysian Nature Society member.

Two years ago, the Orang Asli of Kelantan had also formed several blockades at the state but they were dismantled by the Forest Reserve Department of Kelantan. A few had also been detained.

The Malaysian Insight is still trying to get the state’s response on the issue.

The state government under PAS’ leadership had been criticised for not protecting the interests of the Orang Asli and their lands.

In Parliament last year, a deputy minister had revealed that Malaysia had lost around RM15.2 million through illegal logging activities in West Malaysia from 2006 to 2016.

Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Hamim Samuri had said that during the same period, 256 illegal logging cases were recorded and 229 people were arrested. – February 20, 2018.