From Maliau Basin as a future 'World's Heritage' to Coal-fired Power Plant in Lahad Datu

PM: M'sia keen to list Sabah's Maliau Basin as a world heritage site
By MUGUNTAN VANAR / The Star online

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/1/29/nation/20110129131341&sec=nation

Listing it as the world's heritage will be difficult, taking its advantages for sustainable benefits from its 'world's heritage' status will be an even more difficult challenge for the government and its people; it will take both the state and federal governments a lot of wisdoms and competencies to make the Maliau Basin a long term asset of Sabah and Malaysia.


The return and the values from the status shall be getting larger as the times go by because tropical rainforest with conservation, research,  and recreational purposes becomes rarer in the world by then. it's the Eco-tourism that we are talking about, the future income earner of Sabah.


The conservation of Maliau Basin, or the likes, may have to deploy of high technology as an addition in order to be effective. In fact, the whole Sabah should go for Green Energy policy and it ought to be committal in this frontier, be it in the west or east coast or interior of the state, the government must make landmark decision to adopt the latest trend of earth living direction in order to move on confidently in the world village community.


The much-talked and controversial coal-fired power plant project for the east coast of Sabah should therefore be abandoned for good.

UMNO Vs The World On Adopting The Coal-Fired Power Plants?

First the Sepangar UMNO supported the construction of the coal-fired power plant in Sabah, then UMNO State Assemblymen aggressively defending it in the recent state assembly meeting, now the Penampang UMNO.

What happens to the rest of the BN components, except the LDP, on their stands on coal-fired power plant?

PKR, DAP, and SAPP had all declared their stands on the objection of the coal-fired power plant.

It's not easy to get people to support the coal-fired Power Plant throughout the state today.

It's mainly because of the greater awareness of the public now on environmental issues.

The main environmental issue with the coal-fired power plant is on the safety and the long term environmentally aspects of the said plant .

Sabah is a heavily promoted states in the world on the Eco-tourism where environment is the key selling point; the sustainable state of the ecology is therefore of critical to its long term survival.

Governing political parties should not be supporting the coal-fired power plant solely because of the political indifference with the oppositions,but rather it be purely on viability and justifiable consideration.

Generally, people supports government to build more power plants in order to meet up with their basic demands, however, in view of the Eco-tourism and long term desires of the state, we should welcome the green power or technology that can deliver good environment instead.

People objection to the coal-fired power plant is justifiable, and understandable as the technology using coal is old, and dirty.

Why Coal plants never along coast: Sepa

Coal plants never along coast: Sepa
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=68799

PM Najib's must be sensitive in handling the coal-fired power plant issue in Sabah.

The region is "the seafood bowl to millions of Sabahans and part of a larger real economy of the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion which supports the livelihood of 35 million people across three different countries", according to SEPA's President, Mr. Wong Tack.

While a country should move itself to greener environment now, the bold action in the adherence to the policy of protecting the world by maintaining green is utmost important today.

This brings out a question of what environmental policy our country is adopting within the so-called 1Malaysia, and as a competent participant in the world of environmental protection.

In this endeavour, we should not be double-standard, and we must now step our foot firmly on making sure that our future development ties closely with the conservation of the environment.

We must show to the world that Malaysian meant what it said in the effort of staying green.

Impressions on Coal-fired Power Plant

The impressions observed from the various bodies show that:-

UMNO : We just want Power, we support our leader, and it doesn't matter how we get, and live with it.

PKR: Don't force people to accept 'dirty' power when we have our natural gas to provide a 'clean' power.

SEPA: Under immense pressure going against government's decision of building a coal-fired power plant. It's an uphill task for an NGO to convince the top government leaders why we should have a consistent policy on environmental protection standard.

Sabah Angler Association: The interests of Sabahan, or the residents, around the coal-fired power plant must be seriously taken care of and respected.


朱玛：巫统全州40万党员 全力支持燃煤发电

沙巴新闻 - 西海岸

http://www.seehua.com/index.php/sabah/west%5Cx20x20x20x20sabah/5144-%E6%9C%B1%E7%8E%9B%EF%BC%9A%E5%B7%AB%E7%BB%9F%E5%85%A8%E5%B7%9E40%E4%B8%87%E5%85%9A%E5%91%98-%E5%85%A8%E5%8A%9B%E6%94%AF%E6%8C%81%E7%87%83%E7%85%A4%E5%8F%91%E7%94%B5


杰菲里吁当局 勿强迫沙民接受燃煤发电

沙巴新闻 - 西海岸

http://www.seehua.com/index.php/sabah/west%5Cx20x20x20x20sabah/5145-%E6%9D%B0%E8%8F%B2%E9%87%8C%E5%90%81%E5%BD%93%E5%B1%80-%E5%8B%BF%E5%BC%BA%E8%BF%AB%E6%B2%99%E6%B0%91%E6%8E%A5%E5%8F%97%E7%87%83%E7%85%A4%E5%8F%91%E7%94%B5

PM Must Address The Local Sentiments First

http://www.asiatimes.com.my/news.php?newsid=26066

Apart from LDP, SAPP is another political party openly opposing the adoption of coal-fired power plant in Sabah.

The difference between the two parties over the power issue is that LDP is in the government and SAPP is an independent opposition party now on its own.

PM had come and left with doubts whether Federal government is sincere in resolving the pressing problems in Sabah.

The rejection of coal-fired power plant project in any part of Sabah is purely a clear demonstration of high awareness of the Sabahan on environmental issues, and not so much of political.

The proposal to build a coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu, Sabah, had never been a popular idea since its infamous damages caused to the residents and its surroundings have been unfavourably known all over.

For a state focusing on eco-tourism, the introduction of the coal-fired power plant means a threat to the industry and the state future income. General consensus is that a pristine environment is the key ingredient in the continuation of eco-tourism. There have been several verbal guarantees undertaking by various VIPs on the security and safety of the coal-fired power plant. How good are these guarantees?

The regional sentiment is high in this part of the world due largely caused by the unbalanced status of developments in the past 46 years. PM has a lot to catch up especially on how to eliminate the unjust feelings now felt generally in Sabah.

The vocal appeals over various local issues from LDP via its women and youth wings shows that people are more vocal and getting more proactively involved in the administration of the public affairs.

The sentiments against the central government, especially in the urban area, are high because promised projects are not forthcoming to ease the hardship of the people, or somewhat too slow to act, and like the QEH affairs, there is simply no significant progress on the improvement of hospital services ever since the main tower block was declared unsafe in November, 2008.

Sabah Must Tell TNB What Sabah Really Wanted

I read with doubts on the sincerity of Leo Moggie on the coal-fired power plant issue which had been plaguing Sabah over the last 2 years.

To build or not to build (a coal-fired power plant), that’s the question.

TNB should have had a master plan for Sabah’s electricity needs, for now and the foreseeable future. But, I simply doubt it. Even if the plan ever existed, I wonder if this master plan had ever been a result of consultation with the local Malaysian in Sabah in the first place. Judging from the rare protests on the issue, from east to west coast, it shows that Malaysian in Sabah had ‘never’ been properly consulted on the issue of electricity needs nor the real situations discussed.

TNB is simply ‘arrogant’ in its handling of the issue by repeatedly ‘threatening’ Malaysian in Sabah that if coal-fired power plant is not built now, crisis will be escalated to the point of more hardships for Malaysian in Sabah. The arrogance could be tolerated if they have been doing their part well. The frequent power cut throughout the state, especially in the east coast, is a norm of the day.

Malaysian in Sabah is no doubt can not afford to wait too long for the greener electricity to be delivered, however, it shouldn’t be difficult for TNB to decide on using gas or hydro as the main source for the power generation.

However, TNB may have other difficulties which may be confidential to be openly discussed.

Malaysian in Sabah wants the electricity badly while maintaining the environment ‘untouched’. We want green and sustainable energy sources. Environment is our top priority. Conserving the environment is important and critical to our survival.

TNB should listen to the local people for the way they want for their electricity supply, and not spending time to argue and quarrel with the consumers on how they generate the energy using coal. The local people have the right to determine how their electricity comes from.

Malaysian in Sabah should have the final say in what type of energy and the subsequent environment they should be getting; situation is like those insisting on genuinely ‘Organic’ label in the organic food arena where the end product must meet certain stringent rules of the organic food industries.

TNB should consider returning SESB back to the state government if they can not comply with the people wishes – that is adopting green energy sources.

It’s also high time that the state government review its relationship with the federal government on the energy issue by perhaps setting up a committee overseeing the entire needs of energy sources in the state so as to avoid similar dilemma ever happened again.

Isn’t it having a special committee monitoring the performance of our federal counterparts as part of the implementation of KPI (Key Performance Index)?