KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah West Coast Wise Consumers Association (PPBS) has expressed support for SESB chairman Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau for raising in Parliament the issue of Petronas taking gas away from Sabah for buyers of LPG rather than supplying gas for Sabah power generation needs.
Its president, David Chan, opined that the government should look into the issue for the good of the people and the state.
David said Madius was also right in questioning the present status of the Trans Sabah Gas Pipeline Project, saying money has been paid to the contractor even though the project has not commenced.
“We wholeheartedly support the Tuaran MP and Chairman of SESB (Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau) for voicing out these issues and providing appropriate suggestions to resolve the long-term power shortage issue in Sabah,” he said here today.
As such, David urged the federal government to take into account developing market economics to value live forests in Malaysia, such as financial incentives through carbon credits, which would be advantageous for the country overall and particularly for Sabah and Sarawak.
“Sabah has maintained well-balanced and sustainable social-economic growth over the past 60 years, with no heavy industrialization and outstanding forestry management practices.
“Our national income could increase and reserves could be established to pay for reforestation and eco-green education if there were a market for trading the enormous amount of carbon that our forests capture.
“Sabah’s carbon credit programme should generate sizable reserves for trade with other advanced industrialised nations,” he added.
David said It is time the world recognised Sabah’s tropical rainforest heritage and well-established animal protection sanctuaries.
“In fact, Sabah had sacrificed much by avoiding coal plants for power generation and being biassed towards cleaner energy sources such as fossil fuels,natural gas, and ydroelectric. Otherwise, we would have enjoyed a cheaper power supply for the sake of protecting our ecosystem and environment,” he said.
Hence, David stressed that the resumption of the Trans Sabah gas pipe to the East Coast is utmost critical and crucial to maintaining sustainable and cost-effective power generation in Sabah and protecting the state’s fragile ecosystem.
