By Daniel John Jambun, President Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
KOTA KINABALU: Recent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) records lodged with the Sabah Environment Protection Department indicate that Sustainable Forest Management Licence Agreements (SFMLAs) have been issued over approximately 204,201 hectares (504,591 acres) of Forest Reserves in Sabah.
Under Sabah’s sustainable forest management framework, such licences may extend for up to 100 years – as revealed during the last year state assembly sitting – subject to the terms of the agreements.
According to the available records, the allocations include:
1. Sallico Asia Sdn. Bhd.
– Hutan Simpan Ganui – 5,985 hectares (14,789 acres)
– Hutan Simpan Mengalong, Sipitang – 5,860 hectares (14,480 acres)
– Total: 11,845 hectares (29,269 acres).
2. Jungle Greens Sdn. Bhd.
– FMU 7 – Hutan Simpan Sipitang – 53,168 hectares
– Hutan Simpan Sipitang & Hutan Simpan Ulu Sungai Padas – 22,581 hectares
– Total: 75,749 hectares (approximately 187,292 acres).
3. Tenang Rimba Sdn. Bhd.
– Hutan Simpan Sipitang & Hutan Simpan Ulu Sungai Padas (FMU 7) – 53,317 hectares (131,747 acres).
4. Halaman Zamrud Sdn. Bhd.
– Hutan Simpan Sipitang & Hutan Simpan Ulu Sungai Padas (FMU 7) – 63,290 hectares (156,393 acres).
Together, these concessions cover approximately 204,201 hectares, an area larger than the entire State of Melaka.
The issue is not whether these companies are legally entitled to participate in Sabah’s forestry sector. The real question is one of public policy.
Why are strategic forest resources of this magnitude not principally entrusted to Yayasan Sabah, an institution established specifically to utilise Sabah’s natural wealth for the benefit of Sabahans through education, scholarships, rural development, community welfare and human capital development?
For decades, Sabah has witnessed a familiar pattern. Large timber concessions, vast oil palm plantations, mineral resources and petroleum wealth have generated enormous economic value, yet Sabah continues to face significant development challenges and remain the poorest state in Malaysia.
It is widely observed that 90% of Sabah’s commercial oil palm plantations are controlled by interests outside Sabah, while major mining and resource extraction projects have likewise been awarded to companies headquartered elsewhere.
Whether or not those investments are beneficial, Sabahans are entitled to ask whether the State is receiving the maximum long-term benefit from its own natural wealth.
BoPiMaFo therefore calls upon the Sabah Government to explain:
– Why were these licences awarded to these companies?
– Were Sabah-based companies and institutions given equal opportunities to participate?
– Why was Yayasan Sabah not entrusted with a larger role in managing these strategic forest assets?
– What direct and measurable benefits will flow to Sabah’s education system, rural communities and future generations?
The guiding principle should be straightforward:
Sabah’s natural resources should first and foremost benefit the people of Sabah.
That is not a call to exclude investors. It is a call to ensure that the ownership, management and economic returns from Sabah’s strategic resources are structured in a way that places Sabah’s people first.
Natural resources belong to the present generation only in trust. We have a duty to ensure that their benefits are preserved for generations of Sabahans yet to come.
