A PKR vice-president has urged the Sabah and Sarawak governments to halt all deforestation if they wish to receive a larger share of future federal carbon tax revenue.
Roland Engan said any greater allocation of carbon tax proceeds should be tied to firm commitments to protect the environment, arguing that financial rewards must be accompanied by long-term conservation efforts.
“Carbon revenue should not simply be a reward for geography, but a binding commitment to future preservation,” he said in a statement.
Roland said that if Sabah and Sarawak are to be recognised as Malaysia’s primary carbon sinks, both states must actively safeguard their forests.
“We cannot demand 70 per cent of carbon tax revenue while simultaneously allowing the depletion of the very forests generating that value,” he said.
He was responding to remarks made by Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg, who said yesterday that East Malaysia should receive at least 70 per cent of any federal carbon tax revenue because Sabah and Sarawak serve as the country’s largest carbon sinks.
Abang Johari argued that, apart from Pahang, the rest of Peninsular Malaysia has relatively limited forest cover capable of significant carbon sequestration, while Sarawak’s extensive peatlands and mangrove forests store substantially more carbon than many other forest ecosystems.
Roland, who also serves as Sarawak PKR chairman, proposed that any distribution of carbon tax revenue to Sabah and Sarawak should be conditional on achieving zero-deforestation key performance indicators (KPIs) and be subject to transparent and robust monitoring.
He said the revenue should be channelled towards the permanent protection and restoration of natural forests rather than being used to offset continued commercial logging or land conversion activities.
Roland added that both Sabah and Sarawak must demonstrate forest management practices that meet internationally recognised standards if they are to justify receiving such a significant share of federal carbon tax revenue.
“True environmental stewardship requires financial incentives to be aligned with the full protection and preservation of our natural ecosystems,” he said.
