Director of Forest abusing power? - Deputy Minister of Tourism

 Ali Yusop, Director of Forestry

YB Datuk James Dawos Mamit, Deputy Tourism Minister of Malaysia and Mambong Member of Parliament.

Translation (See Hua Daily  17^th June, 2012)

WATER CATCHMEN

ISSUE TIMBER LICENSE

MINISTER BLAMING FOREST DEPARTMENT

 Tourism Deputy Minister, Datuk James Dawos blaming Forest Department because they don’t know anything, don’t understand the timber harvesting will pollute the water and simply issuing the license in the water catchment area Bengoh.

                He even suspicious the Director of Forest, whether he abusing his power? Or he doesn’t know that the water catchment already gazette and totally cannot issue the timber license.

               

How come the water catchment area can become the harvesting ground?

                Why water catchment area still can be issuing a timber license? You should go and ask Director of Forest, this is abuse power, or he doesn’t know the new gazette already mentioned that this water catchment area cannot be issue a timber license?

                He even requested reporters based on this problem to go and ask Director of Forest, why this thing can happen and why water catchment area can be issuing a timber license?

                James Dawos was present in the new Te Chiao Association village when the reporters came and visit him and asked him about this matter.

               

For environment management, they know nothing.

He said, for this issue, there is no need to talk about environment and how to save the water from being polluted. This is because you can do anything and even throw your rubbish in the river, even the government officer do it.

In timber harvesting, they using heavy machineries with thick oil and grease, and when leakage happen, the oil and grease will drop on the soil and flow to the river, or they really don’t know anything or they really don’t know how to manage the environment.

He straightforward says, this is really a big problem and timber harvesting will create a lot problem to the water source, it will give a big problem to the water port, where they have to increase more on filter processing. According to James Dawos, Bengoh water catchment area during the year 90’s, together with Datuk JC Fong, State Former Attorney General made report and State Government agreed to put Bengoh water catchment area and Jo So Kang under Forest Reserved area.

State Government need to solve this problem.

                He admits, the problem came from the Forestry Department, so State Government need to solve this problem. Because the area has been gazette as water catchment area, by right should not be issue a timber license and reporter asked him whether he wants to take action against Forest Department, and he said have to give to the State Government to make the decision.

                James Dawos never denies the issue will become big in parliament election, even which will affect Barisan Nasional.

                Forest Department create problem.

                ‟This is already become an issue and this will be a side effect to Barisan Nasional. Once this problem delay until the next parliament election, what will happen?” he says.

                ‟I don’t mind about election, who cares about election? This case already happens because  Forest Department create problem.”

               .