Musa firm on guarding basin

July 6, 2003

nation

Sunday, July 06, 2003

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.

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