The Organisation for the Preservation of Natural Heritage (Peka) is looking to enlist all 222 MPs in its call for legislative reforms on laws concerning the environment as well as management of the country's forests.
According to Peka vice-president Sophine Tann, their demands include amendments to several provisions in the National Forestry Act 1984.
"Part of the amendments is that we want Malaysians to have a right to the forests,” she told reporters after the climate change rally in Kuala Lumpur led by Klima Action Change Malaysia (Kamy).
Tann (below) added that further details surrounding their proposed amendments will be revealed tomorrow as the first day of their plan to hand over a memorandum to lawmakers in Parliament.
She said Peka has targeted to be in Parliament every day from tomorrow until July 17 as a run-up to a planned march from Padang Merbok on July 18 - the last day for this current Dewan Rakyat session.
Aside from changes to existing federal laws, Tann said the memorandum would also demand a climate change multi-stakeholder panel be set up, including NGOs, government officers and the corporate sector.
"Everyone that has everything to do with the land has to be on that panel.
"Right now the Forestry Department is in charge of approvals (for forest land use) but Perhilitan (Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia) is not aware," she said in pointing out that any activities in the forest would have an impact to its wildlife habitat.
"We must work together. Otherwise, we will lose everything," she stressed.
Environmentalists have cited commercial logging activities and palm oil plantation as major contributors to deforestation both abroad as well as in Malaysia. - Mkini
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