The Star, Malaysia : Musa firm on guarding Maliau Basin

Sunday, July 06, 2003

Musa firm on guarding Maliau Basin

BY RUBEN SARIO

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will resist any pressure to exploit resources in protected areas of the state, particularly the pristine internationally renowned Maliau Basin, Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said.

He said the state government was aware of the need to conserve environmentally sensitive areas and those classified as Class I protected forest reserves.

“We are sticking to the rules,” Musa said yesterday when asked whether the state government could withstand pressure to allow the prospecting and mining of high-grade coal in the Maliau Basin, which had been declared a Cultural Heritage Site.

On Thursday, Primary Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik urged the Sabah government to allow detailed prospecting of coal in the Maliau Basin.

An initial exploration effort in the basin 15 years ago indicated that there was about 20 million tonnes of high-grade coal, which was expected to be sufficient to meet the country’s energy needs for 20 years.

“We can have monkeys on top and (mine) the coal underground,” said Dr Lim, in illustrating that the latest mining technology would allow coal extraction without harming the environment above ground.

He said this after Musa reaffirmed the state government’s stand against mining in protected areas, particularly the Maliau Basin.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia president S.M. Idris said the stand indicated the state government's farsightedness. He said Musa’s remarks also showed recognition of the need to respect the integrity of ecosystems in protected areas.

Sabah Environment Protection Association president Datin Susanna Jayasuriya said the government must maintain its stand in preserving the state’s protected areas.