Activist raps Kok for praising ban on anti-palm oil video
(FMT) – An environmentalist has expressed concern over Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok’s praise of an advertising body’s decision to ban the screening of an anti-palm oil video.
Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil, president of Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka), was referring to Kok’s comments that the Iceland-Greenpeace “Rang-tan” commercial was “unfair and biased”.
Rang-tan, an animated Christmas shopping promotion in the UK, featured a cartoon orangutan explaining to a girl how its home in the rainforest was destroyed. Kok said this was similar to Western colonial tactics.
The Seputeh MP also said that Malaysia is responsible for fulfilling its collective duty alongside international groups in addressing climate change and protecting the world’s biodiversity for the common future of humankind.
“Let us be absolutely clear that the new Pakatan Harapan government… was voted in with a clear mandate that emphasised protecting the environment and safeguarding the livelihood of workers,” Kok said.
Speaking to FMT today, Shariffa Sabrina said that the minister was uninformed about the current state of forest clearings for palm oil. She said this was not sustainable and was damaging in the long run.
“It is not sustainable to keep clearing forests for palm oil. Everywhere it is about forest clearing for palm oil and rubber, and now it is Musang King,” she said, referring to the popular durian breed grown in Malaysia.
She explained that thousands of acres of forest reserves had been cleared for palm oil plantation, leading to the extinction of some species of flora and fauna.
Not only that, the rivers near these plantations are also affected.
“I think what our minister should do is look into (finding) abandoned land to plant whatever they want there instead of opening up more forests. They need to understand we are losing water catchment areas.
“When palm oil enters any river, the river will shrink as it sucks minerals from the land… It’s like a sucker.
“This is my opinion, but palm oil always destroys the environment,” she explained, pointing to how Thailand is in a similar situation.
Shariffa Sabrina said Putrajaya should consider the impact of palm oil plantations on the next generation, and not only focus on helping the 650,000 smallholders and foreign workers making a living from the palm oil industry.
“If we don’t have food, can we eat palm oil or rubber? Can we live with just Musang King?” she asked.
On the video ban, Shariffa Sabrina said it was not right to ban advertisements as it was for the people to decide what was wrong or right.
She branded the move and those who supported it as being “short-sighted”.
When asked to comment on Kok’s insistence that 50% of land area had been set aside as permanent forest reserves and palm oil plantations were only allowed on agricultural land, Shariffa Sabrina said more details were needed.
“What kind of land is reserved? She has to tell us in detail.
“Of course, I know as the minister she has to be caring towards workers, and it’s not her fault that we are over-dependent on palm oil, but (concerns over) killing our nature is important”, she said.
Earlier, Shariffa Sabrina took to Facebook to say how Kok was not aware of how permanent forest reserves were being cleared for palm oil plantations.
She questioned why “none of our ministers” understand the importance of forests for humans and “go all out” to help preserve our shrinking forests”.
