Media statement by Dr. Hiew King Cheu in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday, 30^th June 2011:

Musa Aman to explain on excessive timber logs export

The excessive and continuous export of timber logs from Sabah during the past decades has effectively exhausted the supply of timber logs for the local timber down stream industries like sawmills and furniture factories.

I received many complaints from the timber industries sectors expressing their deep concern on not being able to get the needed timber logs to continue with their production and keep the factories and mills going. They said due to the decreasing availability of the timber logs locally, many mills and factories were forced to close down and many workers lost their jobs. There is no future in the timber industries in Sabah if the situation is not given immediate attention and stern action and arrangement by the Sabah Government to counter the problems.

The timber industries were once the major source of big income in Sabah, and a main contributor to the Sabah economy growth. That is the reason why Sabah was once booming with activities and very rich. It is sad to see that the present stage of economy is falling fast and we had become the poorest state in Malaysia. Many people who invested in the timber industries have suffered heavily. They are not happy and are blaming the government not doing anything to protect the well being of the timber industries.

This unfortunate situation is entirely the responsibility of the Sabah State government. The suffering of the sawmills and timber down stream industries did not just happened now, but in fact it started a few decades ago, and during that time there were still plenty of timber logs available from the forest. Our forest management policies have totally failed and the millions ringgits of the state money invested on reforestation until today seems not fruitful.

Today we can still see thousand of timbers logs being stocked up ready for expert through the many ports in Sabah. Why these timber logs are not being reserved for the local timber industries, and just simply being exported away?

The state government in the past aimed to encourage the setting up of the local timber down stream industries, but why the government is not protecting and reserving the raw material for the industries? If there is no guarantee on the supply of raw material, who want to set up the timber industries? Today, there are many down stream industries had been set up in the state, but with no timber logs supply can they sustain and survive? Many timber industries factories and mills have closed down or running into big losses. This is all because of the fault of the state government to allow on excessive export of the timber logs.

I asked the Sabah government especially the Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman on what are the state policies on the timber industries now? Are the industries going to face dooms-day or factories to be closed down because of no timber logs supply? Musa Aman is the right person to explain and to give a clear answer to the people who are suffering due to the government is not protecting and safe guarding the interest of the local timber industries. They have invested millions of ringgits, and now seems going to a total lost.

The state government should stop all timber logs export from our forest. All export licenses have to be revoked and cancelled. It is better to stop the export now to save our timber industries then to gain some quick money from exporting the timber logs. By exporting the timber logs, it is only a few people benefited, but the timber industries are the live-lines of many thousand of people. These industries definitely will also earn big income and revenue for Sabah. There is value added, when the timber being down streamed and as a finished product. I don't understand where if the logic that the state government can't visualize this important aspect of economic. This is something of urgency and the government must act immediately before it is too late.

* Dr Hiew King Cheu, MP for Kota Kinabalu