Selangor risks voter backlash over plastic bag policy
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider
Growing unhappiness among voters over a state government policy restricting the free distribution of plastic bags which they say has little impact on the environment, could end up becoming an unlikely political threat to the survival of the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) administration.
Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s government is already facing relentless attacks from his Barisan Nasional (BN) rivals but across the urban landscape of the Klang Valley’s supermarkets and hypermarkets, where PR has its core support, resentment is building up over what could well be an ill-advised policy to protect the environment.
Selangor’s “No Plastic Bag Day” policy, which bans free plastic bags on Saturdays, has caused business to fall during uncertain economic times, and annoyed voters who deride the ban as inconvenient and ultimately having little impact on the environment.
Hypermarkets and retail shops in the country’s wealthiest state say they have suffered business declines of up to 30 per cent on Saturdays since the Khalid administration implemented the policy across shopping malls, retail chains and hypermarkets, among others, in January this year.
“Because of this policy, I don’t buy a lot on Saturdays,” lecturer Pekan Ramli told The Malaysian Insider.
“Usually once a month, on a Saturday, I will buy groceries and diapers. But now, I switch to other days. We go on Sundays or weeknights, but ‘lecehlah’,” he added.
The 45-year-old man emerged from a hypermarket at the Shah Alam City Centre (SACC) mall on Saturday with just a single bag of oranges.
Despite the state government spinning plastic bags as a scourge on the environment, Pekan was sceptical about its impact.
“Plastic does not have a very big impact on the environment. There are lots of other bigger environmental issues like air pollution, river pollution or people simply throwing trash at public places,” he said.
On the Selangor government’s “No Plastic Bag Day” campaign website, www.selangor.gov.my/haritanpabegplastik, plastic bags were blamed for the deaths of marine animals and for polluting rivers and beaches.
There is, however, little evidence that plastic bags pose a huge threat to the environment as the state government has made it out to be.
Climate scientist James Lovelock has reportedly cited the obsession with plastic bags as “rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic”.
Chris Goodall, the author of ‘How to Live a Low Carbon Life’ and ‘Ten Technologies to Save the Planet’, also reportedly dismissed the purported seriousness of the environmental impact from plastic bags.
“They (plastic bags) are an easy target because they are one of the most visible environmental problems. But this doesn’t make them the most important environmental issue. Worrying about plastic bags also gives the illusion that small steps make a difference,” he said, as quoted in British daily The Guardian last year.
Goodall also noted that plastic bag taxes, which were reportedly enforced in Ireland in 2002, triggered an increase in the number of bin liners being purchased although the usage of plastic bags dropped.
The plastic of bin liners is much thicker and pose a greater environmental hazard than thin plastic bags, he said.
Selangor charges 20 sen per plastic bag on Saturdays.
Noorehan Kamdari, the supervisor of the Giant hypermarket in the SACC mall, noted that the anti-plastic bag policy has caused business to fall by some 30 per cent on Saturdays, a day when many Malaysians typically do their shopping.
“There is a 30 per cent drop. Now, customers come and shop on Sundays and Fridays,” she said.
She also stressed that the state should not think of implementing the ban on free plastic bags every day as such a move would anger customers.
“I won’t support it. All the customers will definitely complain,” said Noorehan.
