KUCHING: Assistant Minister of Environment Datu Len Talif Salleh believes that there is no necessity for an independent inquiry to conduct an investigation into the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) compliance by the state Forest Department.
Len, who is a former director of the department, recalled that the SOP was prepared when he was in the department about nine years ago.
“To be honest with you, the SOP was prepared when I was in the department and it was done about nine years ago. It has to be improved every now and then and we do admit there are certain weaknesses in the SOP, yes.
“Being a responsible department and government, we need to update and refine the SOP but if there is abuse of the system, we will take action,” he told reporters after launching the Sarawak Heart of Borneo seminar here yesterday.
Len Talif was asked to comment on Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How’s call for Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem to order an independent inquiry to inquire and verify on the SOP compliance of the 251 Occupational Ticket (OT) licences and Letter of Authority (LA) issued since the latter assumed the office of the Chief Minister and Resource Planning and Environment Minister.
See made the call following Resource Planning and Environment permanent secretary Datu Sudarsono Osman’s admission during a press conference on Monday that there were still weaknesses in the present SOP of the state Forest Department in issuing short-term tree felling licences such as OT and LA, agreeing that the SOP could be further improved to prevent abuse.
The Monday press conference held by Sudarsono and state Forest Department director Sapuan Ahmad was to clarify on The Borneo Post’s front page story entitled ‘Directive on timber licenses flouted?’ on Sunday.
The report highlighted the recent protest against the issuance of a licence for a company to clear a piece of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land in Ulu Ngemah and questioned loopholes in the system that posed a mockery to the Chief Minister’s declaration in 2014 that no more timber licences would be issued.
The protesters, who claimed to be owners of the land, said they were not consulted on the exercise to obtain consent for its clearing.
To this, Len Talif believed that there was no issue of non-compliance with the SOP, saying it was just that there were certain members of the Pang Junan People’s Association who were not very happy.
“But as far as the system or process is concerned, it has been done according to SOP but because the permanent secretary didn’t point out the specific part of the SOP so I would not comment unless whoever complained about the SOP, he has to be more specific.”
On See’s claim that officers in the state Forest Department did not follow the SOP, Len Talif said: “The SOP has five volumes you know. I don’t know which part of the SOP he is not happy about.”
As to See’s contention that nobody was penalised if there was any breach of the SOP, Len Talif said that was not an issue.
“How would he know nobody was penalised? The system has been put in place and we will take appropriate action when we come to it.”
When asked if he knew of anyone who had been penalised for breaching the SOP so far, Len Talid replied: “I don’t know.”