Outgoing Sabah chief minister Datuk Chong Kah Kiat has called for an end to the “timber mentality’ in Malaysia.
He said the Forestry Department should also reduce red tape and bureaucracy and find ways to increase forest revenue. He also wants the department to carry out research and apply the findings to develop the vast potential of non-timber products.
Datuk Chong said Sabah’s biggest challenge was to strike a balance between the need to conserve forest for environmental protection and biodiversity and to meet the need for timber as a source of wealth for the developing state.
To rejuvenate the sector, he said, the government will have to plough back considerable resources.
