Rights group: Disclose 200-year deal to monetise Sabah’s tropical forest

 

International rights group Human Rights Watch is highlighting the lack of transparency over the Sabah state government's actions in conceding exclusive rights to over 1.98 million hectares of tropical forest that will allow a foreign company to monetise “natural capital” for 200 years.

It was calling for the disclosure of the terms and the status of the deal especially because it was still unclear how the agreement will affect the management, use, or access rights of the indigenous people and other communities who live on or depend on the land.

A provisional conservation agreement was signed between the Sabah state government and Singapore-based Hoch Standard PTY Ltd on Oct 30, 2021.

The group pointed out that the state government must uphold the rights of the communities that called the forest their home.

Human Rights Watch Environment and Human Rights division director Richard Pearshouse called the lack of transparency “simply outrageous”.

“Government officials should publicly respond to the concerns raised by the state’s indigenous communities and commit to a course of action that protects, rather than undermines, their rights,” he said.

Shrouded in secrecy

In early February, Warisan president Shafie Apdal had called for the state government to axe the deal that was shrouded in secrecy.

Shafie Apdal

Shafie revealed that the deal did not receive the consent of the state legislative assembly. He also said the government was using state land as collateral for 100 years to the foreign company.

He explained that during the Warisan administration between 2018 and 2020, the state government froze all timber exports and as the then chief minister he had handed thousands of hectares to the natives of Sabah, ending their decades-long wait.

In response, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Jeffrey Kitingan denied that the nature conservation agreement involved the sale of forest land.

Forest land was allegedly sold to a foreign company

He rationalised that instead of cutting down RM110 million worth of timber, which was the current practice, the nature conservation agreement could generate more than RM1 billion in income.

He had explained that the deal had already received the approval of the Sabah state cabinet and did not need to be tabled at the state assembly. - Mkini