Source : Red Orbit, 11 Jul 2008
By : Adib Povera
  

Sahabat Ulu Muda II plans to collect at least 10,000 signatures before submitting them to Azizan and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Spokesman for the group, Nizam Mahshar, a coordinator with Sahabat Alam Malaysia, said the forest reserve, an important water catchment area for Kedah, Perlis and Penang, should instead be turned into a national park.

"Everyone is aware of the importance of the forest reserve for irrigation and domestic use and that any felling will destroy the source of water for millions of people, especially the 63,000 padi farmers in Kedah and Perlis.

"We are concerned about the menteri besar's plan to log timber in the area and we will work hard to stop this," he said here yesterday.

Present was Kedah Malaysian Nature Society chairman Phang Fatt Kow.

Members of the group, led by Sahabat Alam Malaysia, are Malaysian Nature Society, Malaysian Karst Society, World Wildlife Fund for Nature Malaysia, Environmental Protection Society of Malaysia, WaterWatch Penang, Partners of Community Organisations, Treat Every Environment Special, Environmental Management and Research Organisation of Malaysia, United Rural Citizens Association of Kedah, Mada Farmers' Action Group, Community Development and Research Movement, Campus Environmentalist Network, National Friends of Environment Coalition, Consumers Association of Penang, Malay Empowerment Group, Suara Rakyat Malaysia in Penang, Malaysia Social and Health Awareness Association and Jaringan Bertindak Nelayan Pantai Semenanjung Malay-sia.

Nizam said the group also appealed to the Federal Government to honour its promise to pay the Kedah government RM100 million annually for sparing the forest reserve.

He said the Penang and Perlis governments should also pay the Kedah government for preserving the area.

Azizan had proposed to fell timber in the forest reserve, estimated at RM16 billion, to carry out development programmes planned by the Pas-led government.