Rais Hussin, a PPBM supreme council member and who heads the party’s Policy and Strategy Bureau, said half of Indonesia’s plantations can never reach the compliance standards demanded by the EU.
“Thus, it is better for Malaysia to shoot for the higher goal of satisfying the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” he said in a letter to FMT.
In order to be pro-sustainable development, or pro-UN, Malaysia must first offer some modicum of respect to civil society, especially Malaysian consumer groups and pro-environment NGOs.
He said this was necessary as the EU was a body primarily driven by the citizens movement and pressure groups, either from the left or right.
“Our improved agricultural and trade practices will make our products more competitive and profitable than others.
“EU would then not be in a position to ban anything from Malaysia.”
Rather than to accuse their rapeseed and soybean lobby of challenging Malaysia’s palm oil, Putrajaya should double — even quadruple — its efforts at attaining full compliance with sustainable development.
“If it takes up to seven years for the palm oil to reach maturity, it makes sense to urge the planters to try more organic methods to make the eventual fresh fruit bunch even more productive.”
Rais said there was also no need to challenge the EU to a fight at the World Trade Organisation or to resort to a mutual tit-for-tat.
He said any such move was bound to be long and time-consuming, not forgetting resource sapping and an expensive exercise.
“Nor can Malaysia ban or impose a unilateral embargo on the EU, since their economy is far bigger than ours, and Malaysia produces nothing strategic that the EU cannot otherwise procure from another Southeast Asian country.
“One must remember that Malaysia shares the same climate with many Southeast Asian countries.
“If Malaysia reacts to EU’s potential ban on palm oil with its own embargo, then there will be no shortage of other Southeast Asian countries to replace Malaysia.”
Last year, two million tonnes, or 15% of Malaysia’s palm oil exports, worth RM10.3 billion, were shipped to the EU alone.
Don’t fight EU, but embrace sustainability standards, govt told