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 NGOs accused of sabotaging national forestry initiativeBy Tony Thien Malaysiakini 2003-03-20 | The Sarawak Timber Association (STA) has accused non-governmental organisations (NGOs), many of them based in the state, of trying to derail a national initiative to establish an internationally acceptable timber certification scheme. STA chairperson Leo Chai levelled the accusation while tabling the association's annual report at its annual general meeting in Kuching yesterday. Chai was a former director of forestry in Sarawak and is now a director of the Samling group of companies. Negative intentionsChai slammed the NGOs for mounting protests as well as for their lack of participation in the national initiative, adding that this amounted to an intention to destroy the timber industry. While he acknowledged that participation in the scheme was voluntary, he noted that it was "becoming increasingly important in the light of the restrictions imposed on the import of uncertified timber by many developed countries, including Japan and China". "We need to recognise that, sooner or later, we might not be able to sell uncertified timber in certain markets," he said. The initiative toward a globally acceptable scheme is being spearheaded by the Malaysian Timber Certification Council. Chai claimed that the actions of many Sarawak-based NGOs have prompted many countries to reject Malaysian certification.. He also named Greenpeace and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as being among global NGOs that have caused problems for the Malaysian timber industry. "Timber certification is meant to promote sustainable forest management and prevent illegal logging. The irony is that some local NGOs, funded by foreign countries, are bent on derailing our scheme," Chai alleged. "Instead of supporting us, they want to destroy our scheme and us for their own reasons." At the same time, Chai urged STA members to fully support the association's own certification scheme so that their concessions could be certified through the Forest Stewardship Council or preferably under the internationally acceptable one. Money spinnerTimber is next in importance after oil and gas to Sarawak's coffers. Last year, for example, Sarawak produced nearly 12 million cubic metres of logs and exported RM5.35 billion worth of timber products. The sale of plywood contributed about half of the revenue. Although logging is being scaled down, most of the existing log production is being channelled into local manufacturing as value-added products to generate more revenue. Reforestation is underway in logged-over areas, involving many of the major timber companies. Their task is not just to replace green cover, but also to ensure continuous supply for the local processing industries. Reference Links
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