Palm | Kelapa Sawit

PUTRAJAYA: Registrar of Societies (ROS) Datuk Mohd Alias Kalil said he never singled out Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) in his statement on the possible action faced by non-governmental groups for going against national interests.

Mohd Alias said his statement should also not be taken as a “threat” aimed at stopping the environmental body from carrying out its work. He said he was merely responding to a general question from reporters on the steps that ROS could take on such a complaint, one of which could be the NGO’s deregistration if the claims proved to be true.

“Conducting an investigation and taking action if such claims were proven true are part of our standard operating procedure. That’s what I was trying to explain. One of the journalists only raised SAM later, and I told them that it too would have to undergo the same process.

“And I had made it clear then that I had not received any formal complaint against SAM. Of course, we will not investigate or take action against any NGO unless there is a complaint,” he said when contacted here yesterday.

Mohd Alias had been quoted in Miri on Monday as saying that SAM could face deregistration if there was proof that it was engaging in activities threatening the nation’s interests and that ROS was also monitoring non-governmental groups, which were acting “extremely.” SAM has been involved in activities against commercial logging, plantation development and the building of dams in the country.
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"Not a front for campaign"
KUALA LUMPUR: Global Environment Centre (GEC) is not funded to act as a front for an anti-palm oil campaign, its director Faizal Parish said.

He said this in reference to the report titled "Credibility of green groups questioned" which appeared in the New Straits Times yesterday. "This article mentions the Global Environment Centre and implies that we're funded to act as a local front for WWF and Wetlands International as part of an anti-palm oil campaign," he said.

Faizal added that GEC was working with many government ministries, agencies and the private sector to develop solutions to the environment and natural resource management problems such as river pollution and trans-boundary haze.

Separately, Wetlands International head of office in Malaysia Alvin Lopez said, "the article alleges that Wetlands International receives funding from WWF to fund anti-palm oil campaigns. Wetlands International does not conduct 'anti-palm oil' campaigns and we're not financially supported by WWF."