Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) once again reiterates its stand against the breeding of sturgeon fish for its caviar under the Felda project.  When the plan was first mooted in July last year by Felda, SAM had strongly objected against a project of this nature, citing various environmental concerns.

Despite letters to Felda and the various agencies citing our various concerns, sadly not even one replied to SAM. In any developed democracy, there is this  acceptance of the principles of accountability and integrity. Sadly, this is not the case in Malaysia as we hardly see any public official being accountable for projects taking place under their watch.

An interesting  question arises as to why a decision was taken on this  project without any consultations held and why there was no public information pertaining to this issue. The key question is whether, before signing a memorandum of understanding and before proposals for construction of this eight hectare project, was a preliminary study carried out on the need for and viability of the sturgeon aqua farm? Has an environment impact assessment been carried out?

If indeed a study has been carried out, why was the information not shared with the public and  Felda settlers  to make useful representations to the authorities? It is not just about making statements about such mega project to the press or in the state assembly but to seriously engage the public and NGOs at the earliest stage of the decision making process, with provision of adequate information about the project, and giving due consideration to the representations and views made by individuals and NGOs.

The sturgeon is on the list of  prohibited fish species for import into Malaysia as embodied in the Fisheries Act 1985 - Fisheries Regulations (Prohibition of import etc, for fish) (Amendment)  2011. Yet the voice of the Fisheries Department under the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry has been significantly silent following objections to the project by SAM and individuals opposed to the scheme.

SAM again reiterates its stand for the abandonment of the whole project taking into consideration its many negative impacts of sturgeon aqua farming and the adverse impact  on the environment.

SM MOHAMED IDRIS is president, Sahabat Alam Malaysia.