EAIC Goes To The Ground To Gather Inputs On Conservation, Management Of HSK

TEMERLOH, May 28 (Bernama) —The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) took a proactive step by conducting a visit to the District Forest Office here to gather information on the conservation and management of Permanent Forest Reserves (HSK) by the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department (JPSM).

EAIC secretary and chief executive officer Asliza Ali said the visit, also aimed at strengthening enforcement efforts and governance in the country's forestry sector, was an initiative of the  Focus Group (FG) led by the commission.

She said it also followed a report on the findings of the Bertelsman Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI) 2024, which highlighted the issue of deforestation, weak environmental enforcement and the imbalance between economic development and environmental sustainability.

"Among the issues identified by BTI are weaknesses in the enforcement of forestry laws and the issue of illegal logging, logging license procedures and forestry management, which have resulted in soil erosion as well as flash floods.

"Therefore, from this visit, we can gather inputs from JPSM regarding the conservation and maintenance of HSK after forest product harvesting licenses have expired. We were also briefed on the use of satellite technology in detecting changes in the country's forests, as well as its function in proactively addressing forest issues," she said.

She said this at a press conference at the District Forestry Office here before entering the rehabilitated forest area for a visit.

According to her, a total of 32 cases of illegal logging were recorded in Peninsular Malaysia involving an area of ​​100 hectares, with 368 arrests made last year.

Meanwhile, Asliza said the visit also provided an opportunity for the EAIC Corruption Perception Index (CPI) Special Task Force to observe the HSK areas that had been maintained and replanted.

“In addition, we can also understand the current challenges facing the relevant agencies, especially in terms of enforcement,  and assess the effectiveness of existing implementation as well as the level of support required by the JPSM in resolving the issue of illegal logging.

“Previously, their corruption index only looked at reports on the website, not going to the source. Now, we go to the source, and show the people what the real situation is,” she said, adding that this initiative was aimed at improving Malaysia’s performance.

She said Malaysia is targeting 25th place and above in the global CPI ranking by 2033.

— BERNAMA