GUA MUSANG: The Kelantan government is alleged to have approved the clearing of 33,000 acres of forest area in Gua Musang since 2022.
Gua Musang UMNO deputy chief Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim claimed that this was based on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval by the Department of Environment.
“The area covers more than 33,000 acres of forest area in Gua Musang, with most of the area in Ulu Nenggiri, in Mukim Bertam,“ he told a press conference here today.
Mohd Syahbuddin, who is Galas Assemblyman, claimed that there were some discrepancies in the approvals given, including for a 202-hectare Forest Farm Project which was awarded to a less than one-year-old company.
The company does not belong to the Kelantan people nor a Bumiputera, he claimed.
Mohd Syahbuddin, who is Barisan Nasional (BN) election deputy director for the Nenggiri state by-election, said the state government owed the people in Nenggiri an explanation regarding the matter.
“For 34 years, the people of Nenggiri, especially the Orang Asli, have endured environmental destruction while the state government reaped the benefits.
“Every year, during the tabling of the State Budget, Gua Musang district is often overlooked in terms of the people’s welfare, such as affordable housing. Gua Musang, especially Nenggiri, seems to have been used as an ATM by the Kelantan government to only obtain funds from logging fees, without providing any benefits to the people of Nenggiri,“ he said.
Last Saturday, PAS denied allegations that the Kelantan government leased land, including logging areas, to outsiders.
The Nenggiri by-election was called after the Kelantan Assembly speaker was informed that its representative, Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, had ceased to be a member of Bersatu on June 13.
The by-election is a straight fight between BN’s Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani and PAS candidate Mohd Rizwadi Ismail.
The Election Commission has fixed polling for Aug 17.
