Threat to deregister environmental group mars Malaysia's image

Group: ROS threat mars country’s image
The Star 31 Dec 09;

MIRI: It is very foolish of the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to threaten to deregister Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) as the move has attracted the media spotlight.

The Sarawak Conservation Alliance Network for the Environment (Scane) said making threats against NGOs which were merely trying to highlight and protect the interests of the people had put Malaysia in a bad light.

Its director Raymond Abin said threatening environmental watchdog groups and community rights organisations was not going to bring any benefit to anyone.

“How can SAM be considered a threat to national security or national interests simply because it highlights the problems faced by natives in the logging concession zones and plantations in the interior of Sarawak?” he asked yesterday.

Scane is a coalition of community rights groups, environmental bodies, native customary land rights activists and lawyer associations.

It was earlier reported that ROS director Datuk Mohd Alias Kalil had said SAM could face deregistration if its activities were found to be against the interests of the country.

He, however, said there had not been any formal complaints against the organisation.

Abin said SAM and other NGOs were concerned about the rights of the people and the environment and were not instigating people against the Government.

Citing the anti-logging blockades and protests against timber operators by natives such as the Penans as an example, Abin said NGOs were concerned about the welfare of these indigenous people who were losing their land, livelihood and homes.

Former Baram MP Harrison Ngau said Mohd Alias’s threat sounded very political in nature.

“He has no business trying to talk like a politician.

“Why is he targeting SAM when it has done no wrong?

“That threatening statement has made the country look bad in the eyes of the international community,” he said.