Findings of a coalition of NGOs at its recent workshop in Kuala Lumpur point to a "disturbing trend" of corrupt practices and poor governance in development projects.
Cynthia Gabriel, spokesperson for the coalition Governance, Integrity, Accountability and Transparency (Giat) said the phenomenon happened in various states in Malaysia.
"It appears to be the driving factor of environmental degradation which threatens the right to life and livelihood of the affected communities," Gabriel (above) told Malaysiakini when asked about the outcome of the workshop on Sept 28.
"Some of the core issues surrounding governance identified at the workshop were lack of public consultation, conflict of interest and non-availability of information.
"The collusion between business players and those in positions of power to allow these development projects across Malaysia to continue at the expense of the people is becoming increasingly apparent," she added.
Despite the grim reality, Gabriel said the workshop in Kuala Lumpur concluded on a positive note.
She said all participants agreed that there was an urgent need for NGOs to work collectively to address the need for a right to information law and to challenge the nexus between business and politics.
"C4 (Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism) is inspired by the momentum and energy seen by the different groups in coming together to make a collective and united stand in dealing with these issues and arrive at more sustainable development practices," Gabriel, who is also C4 director, stressed.
Giat is a coalition of civil society organisations comprising the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas), C4, Sinar Project, Transparency International Malaysia, the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham), Friends of Kota Damansara and MyPJ.
The event by Giat was a culmination of various workshops in Johor and Penang to facilitate local NGOs and public interest groups to work more effectively to improve governance and stamp out corruption at the national level.
Among the NGOs that made presentations at the workshop were Penang Forum on the land reclamation issue, Persatuan Nelayan Pulau Pinang on their affected livelihoods, Anti-Lynas on toxic waste and licence renewal, Kuasa, a youth group based in Perak working on deforestation issues, Greenpeace Malaysia, Friends of Bukit Kiara, the Agora Society, Engage and Persatuan Tindak Alam Sekitar Sungai Petani, which presented on illegal plastic waste found near Sungai Petani.
Gabriel said the workshop in Kuala Lumpur saw an increased number of case studies highlighted by both Penang and Johor NGOs and which shared a lot of similarities.
"Participants proceeded to identify issues related to governance facing each respective state and the need for all NGO members to work collectively to address the root cause of issues in question at the national level," she said.
"Professor Terence Gomez presented a fitting set of examples where governments were colluding with business entities to seal profits, often at the detriment of the environment and peoples' rights," she added.
"In some cases, suspicious approvals were granted and promises by the new government to review or cancel projects were then U-turned." - Mkini
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