COMMENT At our annual general meeting in 1985, the Environmental Protection Society of Malaysia (EPSM) adopted a resolution expressing our concerns about the proposed Bakun Hydroelectric Dam in Sarawak and the laying of undersea transmission cables to bring electric power from Sarawak to the peninsula.

Our opposition developed into a major campaign that stretched beyond a decade and went on to draw the wrath of the government and Umno! An illegal assembly was held by Umno Youth against me and EPSM on Feb 16, 1986, at our former office in SS2, Petaling Jaya.

EPSM  invited nominations for Protectors & Polluters of the Environment. On March 2, 1986, former lord president of the then Supreme Court, Mohamad Suffian, presented the Protector Award to the People of Papan and Bukit Merah. The joint winners of the Polluter Award were Asian Rare Earth Sdn Bhd and the Malaysian pesticide industry.

T he 1987 annual general meeting of EPSM adopted resolutions criticisng the Pahang and Johor state governments for failing to establish the Endau Rompin forest reserve as well as the Atomic Energy Licencing Board for allowing Asian Rare Earth to resume operations, despite public protests.

EPSM vice-president KK Tan became the first person to be arrested under the ISA on the morning of Oct 27, of what became known as Operation Lallang. He was only released  on Aug 27, 1988.

In 1989, we formed a Malaysian Environmental & Conservation Network (MECN), together with Malaysian Nature Society, the  Centre for Environment, Technology & Development Malaysia (Cetdem), which had been launched in 1985, and the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca).  

EPSM was elected the coordinator of the network. In August, it joined the Regional Environmental NGOs Network-Asia Pacific, which is sponsored by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). On Oct 16, we addressed an open letter to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Langkawi to address a broad range of environmental problems and noted that the Langkawi Decalaration that was issued by the meeting addressed only about half the issues raised in our open letter.

On Jan 11, 1990, we announced that the Protectors of the Environment for 1989 were the tribal dwellers of  Sarawak's Forests and the Malaysian government (for getting the Langkawi Declaration adopted by CHOGM). The Polluter award was given to the Malaysian logging industry.

On April 21 and 22, MECN held a workshop at the Universiti Malaya on the Malaysian Environmental Agenda for the 1990s. On Aug 29, we issued a statement expressing disappointment with the government's unsatisfactory response to the annual recurrence of haze, especially in the Klang Valley.

Towards the end of 1991, EPSM expressed its concerns about the massive tourism and recreation development projects being proposed for Penang Hill. In December, I took part, on behalf of EPSM, in a NGO meeting in Paris as part of the preparation for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Unced), which was scheduled for June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

I also spoke at the Eco ’92 Forum in New York on Feb 29. On May 8, we issued a statement criticising the weak Climate Change Convention being adopted by the negotiators in New York. Our statement of June 21 noted the active participation of the president at the Rio Summit and the concurrent Global Forum, but expressed concern over the weak outcomes.

The second Conservation Agriculture Network for South East Asia (Cansea) general assembly was held in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 17 and on Dec 21, we issued a joint Memorandum on Plutonium Proliferation with 38 other Malaysian NGOs. The Malaysian Climate Core Group was formed after the Cansea meeting.

On Jan 11, 1993, our Polluter of the Environment Award was given to owners and operators of ships that polluted Malaysian waters. During the year, I attended the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) annual conference in Yokohama, Japan, as part of the Malaysian delegation and visited the United States for three weeks in September, on an Asia Foundation fellowship. I became the third recipient of the Langkawi Award from the Malaysian government in October.

EPSM celebrated its 20th anniversary with a grand dinner on Jan 14, 1994, at the Federal Hotel in KL. Together with 15 other NGOs, we issued a statement regretting the revival of the Bakun Dam proposal and the lack of transparency on relevant information. At the AGM, I finally managed to step down, after years of asking for a replacement, with R Senthirajah taking over. I was appointed adviser.

During the 20 years of my stint as EPSM president, I was its main spokesman, for many in the executive committee were not willing to do so, and very often the editor and compiler of Alam Sekitar, administrator, and person who provided the continuity as exco members came and went. Invariably, I attracted criticisms from government officials, ministers, industrialists and some media practioners.

I was branded anti-national, anti-development and political, implicitly pro-opposition, despite me never ever being a card-carrying party member. Yet the government found me worthy enough to be a member of the Environmental Quality Council, for 22 years, and to be given the Langkawi Award!  

The next 20 years...

My advocacy work tapered with relinquishing the EPSM presidency in 1994, but I moved more towards sustainability issues as I had become executive director of Cetdem from April 1985.

The establishment of Cetdem in 1985 allowed me and the other founders to try a different approach, other than advocacy. We sought to demonstrate sustainable solutions to various environmental and development challenges.

One of the pioneering solutions was organic farming, which we launched at our small farm in Kg Jaras Dalam in Selangor in 1987. It was to demonstrate that vegetables and fruits could be gown in the country without the heavy usage of agrochemicals. But, till today, our conventional vegetable farmers still are among the heaviest users of pesticides.

With the determined efforts of Tan Siew Luang and her occasional volunteers, especially from overseas, our farm managed to produce stuff that was on par, if not better, than conventionally produced vegetables. We had the support of one of our directors, Salleh Mohd Nor, who made his land and farmhouse available, rent free.

Organic farming exhibition in 2007

There was little local help available from the universities and much of the learning was from overseas literature and by trail and error. We joined the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and helped in the drafting of the Malaysian Standard on organic plant materials as well the certification scheme, Skim Organik Malaysia.

After the closing of our organic the farm in 1987, Tan Siew Luang and the project have been busy getting more farmers to go organic, as well as increasing public awareness and interest through exhibitions, talks, demonstrations, holding Organic Days and visits.

There is a large membership of kitchen gardeners, farmers, retailers and supporters who helped in the many activities organised. Although there has been support from the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (as it was then) and the Selangor state government, backing from the Ministry of Agriculture and other federal departments was erratic.

Two extensive projects that received substantial funds from the Danish government was a three-and-a-half-year Mobilising Malaysians on Climate Change and a three-year Sustainable Energy Urban Solutions.

Under the sustainable energy programme, Cetdem's double-storey terrace house in PJ was retrofitted to become an energy efficient and cool house, without any air-conditioning. Its electricity consumption dropped by 33 percent, while its indoor temperatures are on the average three degrees Centigrade cooler than the shaded porch temperature. It has received many visitors since its completion in 2004, and even received an award from Globe International in 2011.

In the area of energy and climate change, Cetdem has been pushing for policy reforms as well as actions at both the national and international levels. We have hosted the Cansea secretariat for three terms, with me serving as the regional coordinator.

I have been an active observer at 15 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) sessions and have served on the National Climate Change Committee for almost 10 years. We submitted a Memorandum for a Comprehensive Sustainable Energy Policy to the government in 2007, in which we also pushed the idea of a new single Energy Ministry.

We have been strong advocates of renewable energy and energy efficiency. We have completed a two-year project to increase public awareness of the feed-in tariff for renewal energy managed by Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (Seda). We conducted a pioneering audit of energy consumption by 50 PJ households and have built on it by educating the public to do their own audits.

Options to reduce greenhouse gases

In 2011, Cetdem set up its think tank, Sustainable Development Initiatives (Sudi), which completed its first study on Malaysia's options for reducing greenhouse gas (GHC) emissions by 2020, 2030 and 2050.

The Sudi report titled ‘Lowering the Heat’ was published in September 2012. Its study on ‘Challenges of Embedding Sustainability in Existing Malaysian Towns’ started in January 2013 and its report was published in May 2014.

On biodiversity, we pushed aggressively for a Malaysian Biodiversity Policy in the 1990s and through workshops examined how various Asean countries were trying to protect and manage their natural biodiversity resources. Through Sudi, we are currently seeking financial support for a study to promote holistic sustainable water management in Malaysia.

Cetdem has been pushing strongly for sustainable transport as a means to reduce GHG emissions as well as traffic jams. We have found that it is very challenging to get Malaysians to switch from private to public transport since public transport is not well run in the country, nor comprehensive.

We have, for the past 15 years, been calling on the government to provide clean, accessible, efficient and affordable public transport. We are trying to get a public movement to push for this and are implementing a project on ecomobility in PJ.

Some reflections

Many of the environmental problems in the country seem to persist over the years. The Klang River remains polluted, black smoke from motor vehicles is common, logging continues to undermine water catchment areas and river quality. Reducing pollutants at source remains a problem, littering shows little abatement, solid waste generation is increasing and the 5Rs - Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - have little impact.

But today there are more groups fighting against specific issues like Lynas, incinerators, dams, water, noise and air pollution. There is better dissemination of information through the Internet and some attempts to cut back the use of plastics and non-biodegradable materials. There are more organic vegetables on the market - but not enough certified producers - and some better understanding of climate change.

Subsidised fuel and cheap water are preventing essential conservation and efficiency efforts across the board. Enforcement of environmental laws and regulations remains inconsistent and partial (to the powerful and well-connected).

Almost no political party has shown a strong commitment to or even understanding of major environmental issues. Sustainability seems to be superficial, whether in the public or in the private sectors. “Green” remains a very misunderstood concept!

Yesterday - Part 1: My environmental journey of 40 years

GURMIT SINGH is a well-known environmentalist and social activist.