KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah is directly ‘subsidising’ the country’s sustainability targets and climate commitments through its highest forest cover in Malaysia, said Penampang Member of Parliament, Datuk Ewon Benedick.
He said with forest cover of 62.53 per cent, followed by Sarawak at 61.52 per cent, Sabah far exceeds the national average of 54.4 per cent.
“Therefore, the State Government’s views must be taken into account in the drafting of the National Climate Change Bill and the implementation of the Carbon Market Policy launched last April.
“Although land and forests are the absolute jurisdiction of the states under the Federal Constitution, Putrajaya should increase the Ecological Fiscal Transfer (EFT) allocation to Sabah as a fair return for the state’s role in preserving the nation’s forest treasures,” he said when debating the Supply Bill 2027 at the committee stage for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) in the Dewan Rakyat.
Ewon said Sabah is a major contributor to Malaysia’s efforts to protect the environment at the global level, including the country’s commitments under the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Touching on health issues, he proposed that intake into the UMS Faculty of Medicine be given to Sabah native students, complete with scholarships or JPA sponsorship, before being absorbed to serve in Sabah.
He said the desire of healthcare personnel to serve near their families and hometowns is among the main reasons Sabah faces a shortage of medical officers, and requires a long-term solution including training more Sabah natives.
Ewon also demanded clarification on the status of UiTM Tawau Branch following speculation of the campus’s closure, urged the expansion of scholarships for Sabah natives and Orang Asli pursuing Ethnic Language Studies at UMS and UPSI, and proposed the establishment of a Chair of Ethnic Language Studies at UPSI complete with a waqf fund to support UNDRIP.
He also requested details of the beneficiaries of the RM203 million allocation under the University Scholarship and Research Training Item 2027, and proposed that UMS develop courses in line with industry needs and forge cooperation with Montfort Youth Training Centre to issue joint TVET certificates.
Touching on rural basic facilities, Ewon requested additional allocations to build more pipe wells and water filtration systems in rural villages in Sabah through BALBA.
He said the need is very urgent, especially in hilly areas such as Penampang and Kadamaian which still lack clean water supply and frequently face water problems during the dry season.
He also sought clarification on the scope of the RM65 million natural disaster study in Sabah and requested that its findings be handed over to the Sabah Government in preparation for disasters.
Ewon raised the need to rehabilitate the former Mamut copper mine in Ranau so that the area can be developed into a productive location for the state’s economy.
He welcomed the RM411,000 allocation for the Heart of Borneo (HOB) Sabah Project but proposed that the ministry provide a special annual fund to sustain the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark and the Crocker Range Penampang–Keningau.
Ewon also sought NRES’s commitment to cooperate in preserving the ecosystem around the state’s new industrial areas, namely the Blue Economy Industrial Park in Kudat which borders the Tun Mustapha Marine Park, and the POIC Lahad Datu Industrial Park which is surrounded by mangrove forest areas.
