COMMENT | Selangor govt should address Bukit Lagong issue before GE15

COMMENT | The Selangor government needs to fully address the issues relating to the 27 Bukit Lagong quarries licences before the 15th general election polling on Nov 19.

The Sept 29 statement by Selangor executive councillor, Hee Loy Sian, did not comprehensively address the concerns of the NGOs and public on the quarry operations involving approximately 887ha of reserve forest land.

Subsequent revelations also merit further explanation and investigations on procedural compliance as well as the capabilities and qualifications of the licensees.

The Selangor government is, therefore, requested to carry out the following before Nov 19:

• Except for the existing eight operations, to announce it will review whether the issuance of the minor licences to the others comply with the required processes and procedures, the qualifications of the licensees and the basis they were issued;

• Pending the review, the state government ought to suspend the operations of these licensees (other than the existing eight operators whose licences are valid until 2023). The suspension of operations should not cause any hardship to these licensees since they are minor licences issued under Section 28 of Selangor Forestry Enactment 1985.

Under Section 30(1) of the enactment, these minor licences expire at the end of each calendar year. Further, since these other licensees are only to operate according to phases after the existing eight operations expire in 2023, these licensees ought not to suffer any loss or expense.

Sustainable development strategy

Following the suspension and review, it is suggested that public consultation be undertaken to consider a sustainable development strategy for quarry operations in Bukit Lagong.

This is because of the following reasons:

• Bukit Lagong is not only a gazetted forest reserve but it is also gazetted as a Highly Environmentally Sensitive Area, rich in biodiversity and a water catchment area for several rivers in the state where pollution and flooding would ensue if the expansive quarry operations are carried out;

• Zai Mokta, the village committee chairperson of Hulu Kuang, one of the two Orang Asli settlements in the area, has informed me of the villagers’ concerns regarding the adverse impact these additional quarries will have on their customary livelihood and the pollution risk to their primary water source;

• On the other hand, quarry operations play an essential role in the development of the state and country. The quarry products provide the raw materials for the construction of buildings, bridges, roads, railways and infrastructure facilities. It is impractical to shut down the quarries when the existing eight licences expire. In fact, the demand for these products will increase as economic development proceeds;

• Since quarry products are not renewable resources but are exhaustive and finite resources, it is more appropriate to apply the definition of “sustainable” quarry development to mean the United Nations Brundtland Commission report definition of the term, that is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs”.

• The sustainable development of the quarry operations in Bukit Lagong, therefore, requires a symbiotic relationship between economic and social growth and the protection of environmental quality each reinforcing the other. The essence is a balance and stable connection and integration between human activities and the natural world which does not diminish the prospects for future generations to enjoy a quality of life at least as good as our own.

Be transparent

The quarry operators and the government agencies have to re-examine the strategic management of this resource, the business operations and the extraction of quarry products in a manner that will balance the needs of economic growth with social development and environmental consideration.

More importantly, all parties must work together to develop human resources and educate the communities on the sustainable development of this industry while preserving the environment.

This can only be done by the Selangor government being transparent and forthright in dealing with the needs for economic growth with the protection of the environment.

What needs to be done is to hold full and frank discussions with an open book. It cannot be done by hiding behind the Official Secrets Act or to circumvent the objective of preserving the forest reserve by using technicalities and disingenuous arguments.

WILLIAM LEONG JEE KEEN is former Selayang MP.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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