Kedah MCA raps Pakatan reps for keeping silent on logging

(The Star) – Kedah MCA chairman Datuk Chong Itt Chew questioned the silence of state DAP and PKR representatives on the PAS-led state government’s logging activities which he claimed were harming the environment.

Chong said that since taking over Kedah in 2008, the present Pakatan state government had awarded 10 times more logging contracts than the previous Barisan Nasional government and allocated 5,000ha of a forest reserve at Gunung Inas to develop a rubber planting project.

He questioned why DAP and PKR were silent about the excessive and uncontrolled logging activities.

“Time and again we have seen DAP and PKR state representatives keeping silent over many issues, especially on hardline policies by PAS. Now we see that both DAP and PKR are also too timid to speak up to protect our environment, or maybe they just do not care enough,” Chong said.

He said efforts to develop the state should be done with an eye for the environment, and that PAS’ decision to focus mainly on logging while neglecting other sources of income was not the right direction for the state to take.

“The state government, by looking at other potential areas to develop such as the tourism industry, can create more job opportunities as well as save our ecosystem for future generations,” said Chong.