“It is a government that has flip-flopped on its manifesto and only spins ‘syiok sendiri’ or feel good statements both in the mainstream and social media without really having achieved anything substantive,” said Sabah Umno chief Hajiji Noor.
“It is a government that has rewarded its ministers, assemblymen, political appointees, and supporters after only 5 short months in office.”
Hajiji cited the state government’s willingness to revisit the ban on the use of coal as a source of energy.
He said no Sabahan would want to disturb the coal-rich Maliau Basin, known as the Lost World for its untouched natural reserves.
“Maliau is a first-class forest, kept pristine for future generations, and to help minimise global warming brought about by the carbon footprints in particular.
“Land is a state matter in Sabah and one that touches on the sovereignty of the people. The state administration must stand up firmly against Putrajaya on coal mining,” he said.
He said environmentalists would not allow Maliau to be “ripped apart for the timber and coal”, and questioned whether the present government would undo the “hard work” by the previous government.
He said the Barisan Nasional government had followed international standards in forest conservation in the state over the last 15 years.
“Banning the export of logs alone does not mean conservation. Sabah must grow and enrich its forests with a variety of timber species. It would be most regrettable if we leave tracts of barren land to future generations,” he said.
He said when logging was stopped in Ulu Segama, Malua and Kalumpang, the state lost some RM1 billion in revenue from timber.
“Nonetheless, it was done to revive degraded forests after 60 years of continuous logging. These areas have the largest orangutan population as well as a diversity of other wildlife in Sabah,” he said.
Hajiji, who was the Sabah minister for local government and housing, said about 240,000 hectares were reserved to conserve the orang utan population.
He said 53% of Sabah or 3.9 million hectares of state land had been permanently set aside as Forest Reserves, Protection Areas and Wildlife Conservation Areas.
Hajiji said the previous government also decided to set aside 30% of its total landmass as Totally Protected Areas, which exceeded the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) target of only 10%.
He said Sabah was promoted as a hub for tropical rainforest research involving renowned international research organisations from Britain, the United States as well as from foundations funded by giant companies such as Sime Darby, IKEA, Petronas and public universities.
“Putrajaya should be assisting the state government in sourcing sustainable and renewable energy,” he added.
“The ‘Sabah ubah’ administration and Putrajaya must not compromise on these serious concerns of the people,” he said, referring to Pakatan Harapan’s “Ubah” election battlecry.
“The new state administration is seen as weak, incompetent and has so far embarked on policies that are regressive,” he added.