Newswriting Assignment

MALAYSIA GREEN FORUM 2010

by Lee Kwan Li

PUTRAJAYA : Government will continue its commitment to environmental sustainability, said by prime minister, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak  in the  launch of Malaysia Green Forum 2010.

            Prime minister said the aim of Malaysia Green Forum 2010 is establishing an action-oriented network that deal with environmental issues in a holistic manner is indeed refreshing and most welcomed. Malaysia Green Forum 2010 has drawn the participation of senior government officials, industry captains, society leaders and academic experts from within and outside of Malaysia. It also allows the government with an opportunity to reiterate its resounding commitment towards environmental sustainability in the country.

            During the launch of Malaysia Green Forum 2010 , prime minister also reveal a fact that over 73 per cent of the total forest area in Malaysia is currently protected as national parks. Malaysia is one of the countries with the richest biodiversity in the world, prized with 16 million hectares of tropical forest area, which covers 60 per cent of the countries land area. Preservation of this asset is a key to sustainability.

            Malaysia is one of the earliest nations in the world to have adopted a serious concern towards our environment by enacting the Environment Quality Act in 1974. The very concept of sustainability was an integral part of Third Malaysia Plan, even before the idea of Sustainable Development was popularized in the late eighties by the Brundtland Report. In this regard, a big critical contribution had done by Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for bringing together 14 agencies from 4 different ministries when he established the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in 2004 that paved the way for a more comprehensive and cohesive approach in tackling environmental issues.

            The government has consistently affirmed its commitment to environmental sustainability over the years and prime minister pledge to continue this throughout his  administration. He also announced the formation of the Ministry of Energy,Green Technology and Water. The government will continues to take cognizance of the growing need and urgency of green technology towards sustainable development.

            Co-organizers of this forum are Landscape Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Perbadanan Putrajaya.