Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali also proposed to the state government to cease the activities for a period of 50 years, so that the affected forests and nature’s green could be revived and restored.

“The (environmental) issue is the issue of the people of Kelantan and Malaysia as a whole, not just the Orang Asli community,” he told reporters after participating in a discourse on logging activities here yesterday.

Ibrahim said Perkasa also urged the state government to give due recognition to the customary land of the Orang Asli in the state.

Meanwhile, president of the Association for the Protection of Natural Heritage of Malaysia (Peka) Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said the environmental destruction due to uncontrolled logging activities in Kelantan was quite critical.

“Two years ago, we sent a memorandum to the state government to stop the logging activity, but there was no response,” she said, hoping that the issue would be resolved soon.

Also attending the discourse was activist lawyer Siti Kasim, who has been defending the rights of the Orang Asli against the Kelantan forestry department and logging companies.