‘Malaysians increasingly concerned about green issues’

The Star 12 Jul 17;

KOTA KINABALU: Sustainable development and environmental conservation are among the top concerns for Malaysians who have given their feedback about charting the nation’s future in the next 30 years.

Chief Secretary to the Govern­ment Tan Sri Ali Hamsa (pic) said other concerns raised during the ongoing dialogues on Transformasi Negara 2050 (TN50) included better infrastructure, education, security and quality of life.

“I think everybody is concerned about the environment, more so in Sabah, which is at the forefront of conservation efforts,” he said following a dialogue with Federal and state civil servants on TN50 at the Univer­siti Malaysia Sabah campus here.

He said the dialogue in Sabah was the first to involve civil servants from different levels.

Ali said a similar session would be held in Kuching on July 21.

He said all heads of department should also consider organising the dialogues to get feedback.

Noting that previous dialogues involving various groups such as youths had received enthusiastic response, Ali said this showed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s initiative of wanting Malaysians to chart their future was paying off.

Earlier during the dialogue, Ali said he was struck by how Malay­sians who participated in the dialogues had voiced the need for the environment to be safeguarded.

“This is the message I want to get across to civil servants, especially those in positions of approving projects,” he said.

“Make sure we preserve our green areas and places that are pristine such as forests.

“We have determined the land use in various places and we should stick to it.”