DAP SRI AMAN

By appointing Awang Tengah to be the chairman of the Special Committee to fight illegal logging, has Adenan compromised his combat against illegal logging in Sarawak?

04-03-2015


While many, including the opposition, applauded Adenan for his action against illegal logging activities in the past one year, the recent appointment of Awang Tengah to head the Special Committee to Fight Illegal Logging is seen as a set-back to the Government’s campaign to combat illegal logging.

I am not alleging that Awang Tengah has any connection to those illegal loggers.  However, it is his track record in handling the logging industry that casts doubt on his ability to combat illegal logging activities effectively.

For more than 10 years, Awang Tengah has been the Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment, the minister in-charge of the logging industry.  It is his duty, as the Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment, to stop illegal logging activities.
   
Therefore, the need to set up a Special Committee to Fight Illegal Logging, by itself, is a testimony of the failure on the part of the Ministry to curb illegal logging activities.  The biggest irony of appointing Awang Tengah to head this Special Committee is that, it is just duplicating a position for Awang Tengah to do the same job that he has failed miserably to do as the Minister concerned.

Illegal logging has been a long outstanding problem in Sarawak for the past decades.  The Opposition, the NGOs and even the Auditor-General have brought up the rampant illegal logging activities in Sarawak but Awang Tengah has denied that illegal logging problem is serious in Sarawak.  

In fact, as recent as in the year 2010, Awang Tengah claimed that losses suffered by the government due to illegal logging stood at 0.01 per cent of the RM731 million in revenue collected from timber taxes and royalties, ie. the loss of revenue to the Government due to illegal logging is as low as RM73,100.00.

Awang Tengah also claimed that the situation was under control and losses suffered by the Government very minimal.

After Adenan became the Chief Minister of Sarawak in year 2014 and his announcement to fight illegal logging, the MACC announced that the estimated loss of revenue to the State Government due to illegal logging is RM100 million. 

Why in the short span of 4 years (2010 to 2014), the loss of revenue to Government due to illegal logging can increase from RM73,100 to RM100 million, an exponential increase of 1360 times?

It is either the Minister in-charge was previously sleeping on his job or when Adenan became the Chief Minister, there is a sudden 1000-fold surge in illegal logging activity.  I am of the view that the former is the case.

Given the horrible track record of Awang Tengah, I am of the view that he should be the last person to be appointed to head the Special Committee.  Awang Tengah has failed in his capacity as the Minister in-charge to curb or to even detect the seriousness of illegal logging.  What can he as the head of the Special Committee do on fighting illegal logging that he as the Minister cannot do?

Why was Awang Tengah chosen by Adenan to head the Special Committee?  Why is Adenan not heading the Special Committee himself?  Is there resistance within the BN against Adenan’s campaign to combat illegal logging?  Is Adenan stepping aside from spearheading the charge against illegal logging? 

The ultimate question is:  Will all these clamour by Adenan against illegal logging become flash in the pan?



Chong Chieng Jen
MP for Banda Kuching
ADUN for Kota Sentosa
DAP Sarawak Chairman