The Environment Ministry has rebutted a news report stating that its minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had purportedly defended logging activities in Kelantan.
"The ministry wishes to stress that the report published was not accurate," it said in a statement, referring to a report carried by Malaysiakini yesterday titled "New environment minister defends logging in Kelantan".
The ministry said logging activities come under the jurisdiction of state governments.
"The environment ministry is the agency that takes care of issues related to environment and biodiversity and will continue the restoration, maintenance and protection of natural resources as stated in our policies and laws," said the ministry.
However, it said in the effort to protect the biodiversity and the forest, the ministry will step up its monitoring work and enforcement to ensure that all existing regulations are observed.
"The government will not hesitate to take action against any party that is found to carry out the illegal activities that relate to the environment and forestry," said the ministry.
It added that Tuan Ibrahim (above) will discuss with the state governments and stakeholders to formulate strategies in order to resolve environmental woes.
Yesterday, the minister was asked to respond to the criticism on logging activities in Kelantan.
"If you look at Kelantan, it has ISO certification, compared to other states that do not have any.
"It (criticism) is partly due to sentiment from the opposition," he responded.
Taking to Twitter, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim criticised Tuan Ibrahim for uttering an irresponsible remark.
"We have to formulate the policy to preserve our environment, including the forest. Is this the formal stance of the ministry? Please respond immediately," said the Port Dickson MP.
Kelantan state government was heavily criticised in the past for allowing logging activities which caused Orang Asli community in Gua Musang to lose their forest reserve area. - Mkini
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