Kitingan S Alleged Quarry Bid Raises Scrutiny On Forest Licences

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Allegations linking Sabah Deputy Chief Minister I Jeffrey Kitingan to the bidding for a quarry licence in a forest reserve have sparked sharp criticism from environmental experts.
They warn of a public trust crisis and argue that the controversy underscores deeper irregularities in the rubber-stamping of extractive licences in forest reserves.
Academician Yusoff Ishak said the accusations levelled against Kitingan, who is also the Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president, exposed questionable practices in the handling of Sabah’s resources.
“The latest allegation with supporting documents on the application for a quarry licence in a Class 1 forest reserve area warrants transparency from the Sabah state authority,” said the senior lecturer with Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Forestry and Environment Faculty.
ADS“The letters show lapses that could lead to potential breaches of trust, thus possibly contributing to a trust deficit between the public and political leaders,” he told Malaysiakini.
Backing an audit on the greenlighting of extractive licences in forest reserves, Yusoff also cautioned that such alleged misdeeds could put undue stress on public servants tasked with managing protected forests.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister I Jeffrey KitinganYesterday, businessperson Albert Tei alleged that Kitingan had applied for a 30-year “occupation permit” to obtain a quarry licence covering 80ha of protected land within the Pulau Banggi forest reserve.
Tei claimed the application was made via a Dec 6, 2022, letter issued by Kitingan’s ministry and personally signed by him, addressed to Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.
The letter purportedly also contained a signature and a Dec 12 2022, note allegedly handwritten by Hajiji, which read: “SUHB. Sila teliti, tiada halangan jika teratur (please review, no objection if in order).” SUHB was said to refer to the secretary of natural resources.
Tei’s assertion that his role was to provide a proxy company to formally apply to the Sabah Forestry Department led to Warisan assemblyperson Calvin Chong questioning why Kitingan had allegedly acted as an intermediary for a private company.
Questionable approvals in forest reserves
Based on information sourced from the Conservation Areas Information and Monitoring System developed by the Sabah Forestry Department, Class 1 forest reserves are “conserved for the protection of watershed and maintenance of the stability of soil, water conservation, and other essential climatic and environmental factors.”
Logging in SabahLogging is also not permitted in these areas.
Commenting on the scandal, environmental group RimbaWatch’s director Adam Farhan stressed that the controversy should not be seen in isolation, but as part of a nationwide pattern of questionable approvals relating to forest reserves.
“The scandal warrants a nationwide audit on the handing out of extractive licences in forest reserves,” he said when contacted.
“There are a myriad of similar scandals that have occurred across the country - from coal mining in Balingian, Sarawak, to proposed quarries in Bukit Lagong, next to Frim (Forest Research Institute Malaysia) in Selangor.”
Urging for systemic accountability at the national level, Adam highlighted that such licences pose clear risks of “environmental destruction and rent-seeking behaviour”. - Mkini

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