Xavier calls for halt to degazetting of Kuala Langat forest reserve

Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar has voiced his objections to the proposed de-gazetting of 930 hectares within the Kuala Langat (North) Forest Reserve area.

Xavier (photo), who is also a concerned party as Kuala Langat MP, told Malaysiakini he was firmly against the proposal to de-gazette the area which is home to Orang Asli settlements and wildlife.

"This is sending the wrong message. We have a target forest cover of 55.3 percent that we are supposed to increase. In fact, without Sabah and Sarawak, we are less than 50 percent. We are championing reforestation, not deforestation.

"We should not be destroying green lungs for development, what more an area that has been specially gazetted since 1927," he said.

"The state government must take into account the sentiment of the Orang Asli living there," he added.

News of the proposed degazetting broke when the Selangor Forestry Department placed the notice of the proposed degazetting in major dailies on Feb 5 inviting stakeholders in the district to voice their objections to such proposals within a 30-day time frame.

This is in accordance with the Public Inquiry (Selangor) Rules 2014, as well as the National Forestry Act (Adoption) Enactment 1985, which makes the exercise (placement of notice) compulsory before a forest reserve can be degazetted.

Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P Waythamoorthy, who oversees the Orang Asli Affairs Department (Jakoa), said Jakoa had been pushing for the area to be preserved since Sept 20, 2017. 

"Due to technical difficulties... we are still awaiting the state government’s decision,” he said, adding that a meeting will be held with Jakoa's management on Monday to seek “the best solution” to the issue.

Waythamoorthy confirmed that the affected territory involved the roaming areas of four Orang Asli villages - Kampung Orang Asli Bukit Kecil, Bukit Cheeding, Busut Baru and Pulau Kempas - with a population of 1,049 villagers.

Artist/activist Shaq Koyok, who is from Kampung Pulau Kempas told Malaysiakini that villagers were distraught over the possible loss of their ancestral lands, while Radio Asyik DJ Hardy Zakaria who hails from Kampung Busut Baru lamented that his village had already been relocated from the present KLIA site and would be traumatised by another move.

Xavier today said he would talk to Waythamoorthy about the issue.

"At the moment, let due process occur. Since the notice is calling for objections, I am confident that many parties will object to this," he said.

Environmental preservation group, Global Environment Centre (GEC), is one group that is coordinating a campaign to resist the degazetting.

GEC director Faizal Parish said he was surprised and alarmed by the proposal, saying the area was critical for the Orang Asli and key biodiversity as it was home to endangered wildlife.

Xavier said based on these objections, the state government should reverse their decision to degazette the land.

He highlighted the government's commitment to reforestation saying it had allocated RM150 million under the 11th Malaysia Plan to plant 100 million trees in five years to conserve and replant forests which have been explored. Mkini