The Star, Malaysia : Malaysia to oppose linking of trade with forestry

Sunday, August 25, 2002

Malaysia to oppose linking of trade with forestry

IPOH: Malaysia is expected to oppose any move to link trade with the environment at next month’s World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, said Primary Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik.

“They can talk about climate changes or biodiversity. But if they talk about forestry, we’ll fight ... developed countries are the biggest polluters but they want us to take care of biodiversity,” he said.

Dr Lim said that Malaysia would be watching the matter very closely because environment was fast turning into a trade issue and the World Trade Organisation was given the task to explore how it could be linked with trade.

“There are already people campaigning that consuming palm oil means destroying the orang-utan. What does the orang-utan have to do with palm oil?” he said after attending the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council annual dinner on Friday.

Dr Lim said that Malaysia gave priority to forestry and that was why there is still 61% of forest in the country compared with developed countries which had far less.

While the Rio Summit gave priority to forestry, Lim said the issue would not be top of the agenda as the focus would be on sustainable development.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will lead the country’s delegation to the summit, which is also known as the “Earth Summit Two”, named after the first one held in Rio de Janeiro 10 years ago.

Dr Lim said while the summit would certainly touch on environmental issues, developed countries or non-governmental organisations should not link them with trade by pushing for more conditions to promote their own cause.

He said the United Nations had not come up with the criteria on sustainable development but some NGOs like Greenpeace had taken the initiative to push ahead with their own definition. — Bernama