Archive for March, 2010
Work Together To Address Environmental Issues, Says Kurup
(Bernama) — There is a need for coordinated global efforts to address environmental issues, says Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tan Sri Joseph Kurup.
“The world is witnessing an unprecedented loss and changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services, which brings direct impact on human well being and sustainable development. The future development of all countries will be impaired if these losses are not reversed,” he said in his speech at the International Union of Forest Research Organization (IUFRO) 2010 Conference here on Monday.
There is a need to respect the sovereignty of nations but yet the needs of the global community must be accommodated, and therefore is a need to work together as one community and not as single nations working in isolation, he said.
With an increasing concern that the present decline in global biodiversity and ecosystem services is projected to increase, there is “an urgent need for us to move into a proactive mode and not be held back by our present reactive style of policy-making,” he said.
He added that the recent Global Ministerial Environment Forum in Bali noted that the 2010 Biodiversity Targets set by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in April 2002 to significantly reduce biodiversity loss will not be met.
He said a mechanism should be set up to help countries especially developing countries to strengthen their capacities with adequate scientific knowledge to guide policy-makers.
As for Malaysia, he said the country as a host of rich diversity of flora and fauna plays a key role on issues related to biodiversity with its active and constructive participation in related international treaties.
Domestically, it has strived to emphasize the sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services for economic and social development, he said.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Micro-organism mudballs to purify zoo’s lake water
-The Star-
KUALA LUMPUR: Mudballs made of live micro-organisms will be released at the Zoo Negara lake to purify its water and restore aquatic life.
The 40,000 Effective Micro-organism (EM) mudballs will be released on March 22 in conjunction with World Water Day.
Yesterday, more than 250 Standard Chartered staff members and 20 visually-impaired people from the Malaysian Association for the Blind started making 14,000 mudballs, to add to the 26,000 that were made in December.
Release the mudballs: (From left) Malaysian Celebrities Go Green co-founder Baki Zainal, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia chief information officer and Scope International Malaysia head Arif Siddiqui, Kurup and Zoo Negara Malaysia president and chairman Datuk Ismail Hutson officiating the lake restoration project at Zoo Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Saturday.Khairulnizam Abdul Rahman, a visually-impaired individual, said he felt good because he was able to contribute to the environment.
“This is my first time making such mudballs. And I am also having fun because I get to make new friends,” said the 24-year-old.
The event kickstarted the Zoo Negara lake restoration project, which is a joint effort by the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, Standard Chartered, Zoo Negara and Bioremeds, which provided the technological expertise for the EM mudballs.
Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, in his speech when launching the project, said he was confident that the collaboration between the Government and private sectors and civil society would spark new thoughts on water conservation techniques and yield success.
The EM technology was developed by Japanese horticulturist Dr Teruo Higo.
EM is the natural occurring of live micro-organisms such as bacteria and yeasts, which are used to improve the quality of water, solve sanitary problems and improving the environment.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )From waste to wealth
-The Star-
A NEW technological innovation, called the Pops (Parallel Oil Palm Strand) Lumber, is creating waves all over the world as an alternative raw material for various wood-based products.
For many years now, there has been a shortage of wood from natural sources, and any harvesting of wood has to be sustainable to ensure that forests do not suffer.
Over the past seven years, Malaysian scientists have been researching the use of oil palm trunk for plywood, as every year, 10 million oil palms are chopped down as most trees have a life span of only 25 years. The felled trees are either burnt or left to rot.
“The issue with oil palm lumber has always been transportation. Oil palm has 300% more moisture, so it is heavy. Drying it was also a problem,” said Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) senior research officer Dr Wan Tarmeze Wan Ariffin.
According to FRIM Flagship Project MYScrim director Datuk Dr Marzalina Mansor, the drying of the oil palm trunk could not be rushed.
Strong: The furniture made from Pops Lumber is sturdy and customers can customise the raw material to their needs”If we dry it too fast, it won’t be smooth. There are too many processes to look into. Veneer has to be smooth so the layering for plywood can be done with ease,” she said.
In July 2007, an idea struck the researchers at FRIM. Instead of drying the trunk into veneer, they decided to crush the wood into strands and glue them back under a certain pressure.
“The best part is that the clients can customise the wood to their requirements. They can decide on the weight of the wood, its structure and how compact it should be,” Dr Wan Tarmeze said.
Many countries have been receptive to this invention, especially at road shows and international conferences. The patented Pops Lumber recently received accolades for its ingenuity, garnering the World International Property Organisation (Wipo) Best Invention award in Geneva as well as two other awards.
Quality product: Dr Marzalina holding up a block of Pops Lumber that features carving; note that the edges have not been chippedAfter the success of their patent, the researchers decided to approach agencies and organisations that might be interested in helping to finance the second part of their research — to refine Pops.
The POPScrim is a technique for crushing the material a little more than Pops Lumber, so that it would be more solid, with fewer gaps between the strands.
“We took our patent to 20 agencies under three groups — the users, the manufacturers and the financiers — but everybody wanted us to complete the research and data before they stepped in,” Dr Marzalina said.
The users were eager for the end-products comprising furniture, roof beams and interior decorations, while the manufacturers were excited about ordering stocks, but they failed to realise the team needed funding to finish its research.
The team found hope in Blue Mountain Resources Sdn Bhd, which jumped on the bandwagon on recognising the product’s potential.
“We are now looking for the right machine to speed up the process as well as a factory to make the raw material,” said Blue Mountain Resources chief executive officer Muhammad Ridzuan.
Ridzuan said his company was interested only in producing the raw material, which would be cheaper than rubber wood, adding that the new Pops would complement the existing raw materials in the industry.
According to him, there are great potential for this product and it will generate greater income for the country.
In fact, many foreign countries had asked his company to start production in their country, he said.
“But we are patriotic, and we want to ensure Malaysia gets the benefits from this. We hope the government will step in and help finance the remaining part of the project,” he added.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Let’s save our tigers
-The Sun Daily-
MAYBANK recently donated RM1 million in support of the National Tiger Conservation
Action Plan which aims to double the population of Malayan tigers from 500 to about 1,000 in the nation’s Central Forest Spine by 2020.
“Since our inception 50 years ago, the tiger which is both the pride of Malaysia and our national heritage has been a prominent symbol of Maybank’s strength,” said Maybank chairman Tan Sri Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor.
“Thus it is fitting that we mark our golden jubilee celebration this year by taking a firm stand in tiger conservation,” he said at the launch of Maybank’s official two-year partnership with the Malaysian Conservation Alliance of Tigers (Mycat) which is spearheading the conservation effort.
“Maybank is honoured to contribute towards the scientific research of tiger ecology, leading to a deeper understanding of ways to address the plight of tigers not only in Malaysia, but also worldwide,” he said.
Mycat is an alliance of four non-governmental organisations – the Malaysian Nature Society, WWF Malaysia, Traffic Southeast Asia and Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia Programme.
Maybank’s donation will go towards supporting Mycat in implementing the National Tiger Conservation Action Plan 2008-2020 – specifically research that aims to enhance the sustainability of the population of tigers and their preys by securing a safe dispersal “tiger corridor” at Sungai Yu, an area that connects Greater Taman Negara and the Main Range.
Currently, the expansion of oil palm plantations along a highway immediately to the west of the park has created a forest “bottleneck” that threatens the natural habitat of tiger and prey.
“Conservation of endangered species like the tiger is both expensive and arduous. Our investments in efforts and funds need to be based on sound knowledge from scientific research and to be adapted according to the dynamics of the tiger’s response to threats and prescribed conservation efforts,” said Mycat programme manager Dr Kae Kawanishi.
Kawanishi who had led the first ecological study of tigers in Taman Negara from 1998 to 2001 said Mycat’s role is to support current law enforcement efforts by collecting information to reduce the poaching of tigers for business or consumption purposes.
“Our outreach programme held at hotspots across the country has to date reached approximately 12,000 people and the partnership with Maybank will hopefully open up access to millions of its customer base, not only in Malaysia, but also Asia,” she said.
“It is sad to note that for some people, a dead tiger has higher value than a living tiger. The future of tigers is not to be predicted, but to be created.”
Taman Negara, covering over 4,343sq km of primary forest and spanning Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, is the largest protected area in Peninsular Malaysia and the most important conservation area for Malayan tigers.
For more information log on to: www.malayantiger.net/mycat-activities
A proactive approach
-The Star-
IN line with the increasing awareness of corporate responsibility (CR) in the marketplace, Malaysian corporations are becoming more involved in the business practices of their vendors and suppliers.
To ensure the long-term viability of the entire supply chain, suppliers should provide adequate salaries and conducive working conditions for their employees, have effective environmental policies as well as good and transparent corporate practices.
Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) has undertaken many initiatives on effective vendor engagement and business sustainability.
Astro volunteers rebuilding a home.“We provide training to enhance the knowledge of vendors and suppliers and to ensure that they understand our quality expectations,’’ TM group chief executive officer Datuk Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa said.
To promote local entrepreneurs as well as small and medium-sized local businesses, TM runs a three-year entrepreneur development programme within its procurement department.
TM conducts regular online surveys to gauge the level of vendor satisfaction with regard to their working relationship with TM.
Customer satisfaction is a fundamental part of TM’s responsibility.
“We spent RM308mil on quality improvement initiatives to give our customers a better service experience last year.
“We will also continue to offer innovative and attractive packages that serve the needs of the various segments of our customers,” he said.
Early last year, TM adopted a new business model that is aligned to the marketplace.
“This has enabled us to focus on our customers in a more integrated and efficient manner,’’ he said.
MRCB
Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) recognises the importance of sustainable development, environmental conservation and biodiversity protection as part of its long-term sustainability goals.
“In view of our new emphasis on sustainable development, MRCB took a more pro-active stand last year towards CR, especially in its core property business,’’ said chief executive officer Mohamed Razeek Hussain.
“We are investing in internationally recognised environmental ‘green’ certification for the construction industry in all our upcoming property projects and adopting a green development strategy for future property projects in the Kuala Lumpur Sentral development site, beginning with 348 Sentral,” he said.
The three main environmental certification used by MRCB are the US Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Singapore’s Green Mark and the Malaysia Green Building Index.
The group also incorporates an environmental re-engineering business via ventures into environmental conservation and biodiversity protection business.
MRCB has carried out a major environmental conservation project on Pulau Tioman to design, build and complete the rehabilitation of the beach using the Pressure Equalisation Module system in 2005 and which was completed last year.
MRCB also conducted environmental awareness campaigns to highlight the importance of cleanliness, recycling and environmental preservation to local inhabitants.
Last year, the company undertook a project themed “Greening of Kuala Lumpur Sentral development” aimed at reducing its carbon footprint.
Its first development partner – GSB Sentral Sdn Bhd – has pledged to plant 1,000 trees in and around Kuala Lumpur Sentral development in its greening initiative.
Astro
Astro All Asia Networks Plc takes responsibility in not only delivering the best in entertainment, information, education and sports, but also in providing the best value proposition to all its stakeholders.
“With almost 50% and still growing penetration rate, our ongoing challenge is to better understand our customers, their content needs so that these can be translated into products and services,” said Astro chief executive officer Datuk Rohana Rozhan.
Although Astro was a relatively young company (14 years), it had always looked at things in a holistic manner.
Its end-to-end delivery system, aimed at providing world-class services, includes the:
• ground system – the end-to-end digital infrastructure comprising all digital broadcast and production facilities at the All Asia Broadcast Centre and Cyberjaya Broadcast Centre.
• space segment – the two powerful Measat satellites with the highest signal availability, thus providing added capacity for new services.
• home segment – the set-top box and outdoor unit dish that customers have in their homes.
Rohana said global best-in-class practices were analysed and internalised for relevant applications in the local market.
“As a responsible media broadcaster and content provider, Astro has maintained productive working relationships with several regulatory bodies. We also have a strong reputation within the investment community for good governance and steady revenue stream,’’ she said.
Astro strives to make a difference within the communities that it serves.
“Astro Kasih provides us the platform to do so. Every employee is encouraged to participate in worthy causes for those less privileged as well as in championing the conservation of the environment.
“A total of 108 community programmes were implemented last year. Causes close and dear to us include educational initiatives, health care and the environment,” she said.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The Greening of Putrajaya
-The CSR Digest-
Selangor’s No Plastic Bag Day is just one of the many new efforts at going green in Malaysia. There are now plans underway to turn Putrajaya, Malaysia’s administrative capital, into an eco-friendly city. According to a news report, the first initiative will be turning the Prime Minister’s Office Complex into a green building this year, while Putrajaya’s first commercial energy-efficient building is expected to be completed by 2012.
Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd (PjH) project management division general manager, Hassan Ramadi, was quoted as having said:
We will have to do some retrofitting to change or modify its mechanical and electrical system, that is, the air-conditioning and lighting, to make it more energy efficient.
Hassan wad reported to have said that retrofitting would take about six months as it will not involve heavy renovation works or extra-sun-shading devices because the complex was already designed to meet this need.
Together this move is the building of another energy efficient structure, both in design and material, in Putrajaya – the Energy Commission’s (EC) Diamond Building, which is now under construction.
PjH planned to lease the commercial green building, when completed, to both government agencies as well as local and multinational companies (MNC).
The 2010 Budget targeted Putrajaya and Cyberjaya to be developed as pioneer townships in green technology. Building owners or developers who obtain Green Building Index (GBI) certification between 24 Oct 2009 and 31 Dec 2014 will be given tax exemption equivalent to the additional capital expenditure in obtaining the certificate.
Another green rating tool for the tropics is Singapore’s BCA Green Mark scheme, which was made mandatory in 2005 for all new buildings in the republic as part of submission to get certification.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )SIRIM QAS And FRIM Form Strategic Partnership
(Bernama) — SIRIM QAS International Sdn Bhd and the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in the area of testing and certification services for forest products.
Both the organisations will collaborate and establish synergy of expertise and facilities to fulfill the needs and demands of clients more effectively, a joint statement from SIRIM QAS and FRIM said here Thursday.
FRIM Director General, Datuk Dr Abd. Latif Mohmood said the MoU was timely with its efforts to provide the highest service in the testing and certification of forest industry products as well as the verification of local timber products’ quality for both the local and foreign markets.
This is important as there are many trade barriers requiring Malaysian timber to fulfill the standards set by importing countries such as FACS, JAS, and many more, he said.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Alternative material to replace timber: FRIM
-Daily Express-
Kota Kinabalu: The Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) will showcase new alternative raw material that could replace timber, which is short in supply presently, at the Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF).
The FRIM will present these raw material or feedstock, which have been researched and found not only to be suitable but interesting for consideration in the industry, at the event in the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur from Mar 2-6.
At the event, the FRIM will also highlight various technologies and services it has to offer to help the industry add value or differentiation to their products and/or reduce production costs.
“Furniture is one of the major exports of our wood-based sector,” FRIM’s Advanced Processing and Design Programme Head, Dr Tan Yu Eng said, before adding, “over the years, there has been steady increase in our export value to a tune of about RM8 billion in 2008.”
“Amidst the economic slump and stiffer competition in the global market due to emerging low-cost producers, efforts are being considered to upgrade the value chain.
“One possible way is by means differentiation through the use of different material or feedstock.
This will also help to alleviate the material shortage problem encountered by the wood-based industries in general, furniture sector in particular.”
Meanwhile, he said the FRIM also welcomed interested parties to jointly evaluate the viability of these material under commercial environment.
Tan will make a presentation entitled “Carving a Niche in New Input Material at the PWTC on Thursday.
For more information contact Tan at 019-389 5010 or Media Officer Toh An Nee at 012-250 6897 or 03-6279 7458.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Getting fed in
-The Star-
CAN’T wait to get in on the feed-in-tariff act and start generating your own green electricity? But how exactly do you do it, and how much money do you need to pay?
According to Ahmad Hadri Haris of Pusat Tenaga Malaysia, the process of applying for feed-in tariff will be similar to that of getting a car.
“When you buy a car, the car dealer settles everything for you – from the insurance, the road tax and so on. We are proposing the same concept here. All you have to do is go to a service provider who will be like a car dealer. You key in your details online, and you will know on the spot which tariff you are eligible for. You then go to Tenaga Nasional Bhd to sign a contract, and then apply for a bank loan.
“Then, after paying the down payment to the service provider, they will do everything else on your behalf – install the renewable energy system, and then provide customer service to you. The only difference is that the value of a car drops as soon as you drive it, but here, the value of the property will increase instead.”
Unlike the Suria 1000 project, which only the well-to-do could afford because the houseowner has to fork out the capital for the photovoltaic sysem on his own, practically anyone can apply for a feed-in tariff (FIT) system.
“You can apply for a loan based on the contract with the utilities, which is good for 21 years and is backed by the FIT law. Once you get the loan, you will be able to get the system up almost immediately,” said Hadri.
“We have calculated that the revenue garnered from FIT will be higher than the payment to the bank every month, taking into account the low interest rate and repayment period of the loan.”
To encourage consumers to get into the FIT game early, they will also introduce something called digression. For example, if you sign a contract for the first year, it will be fixed for the next 21 years. If you do it a year later, you will get lower prices, which will still be fixed for 21 years.
Now, all that we have to do is wait. Once the Government passes the FIT law, we can all be independent – and green – power producers.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Energy surge
-The Star- By MICHAEL CHEANG
The new feed-in tariff rule will allow anyone to produce green energy and get paid for it.
HOW would you like to generate your own electricity, and make money from it? If things go according to plan, the impending introduction of a new feed-in tariff law that is set to revolutionise Malaysia’s renewable energy production will make it easy for everyone to generate renewable electricity and sell it back to the national power grid.
With the feed-in tariff (FIT), all you need to do is apply for an account and install a renewable energy generator such as a wind turbine or solar photovoltaic (PV) system, together with a special two meter system in your home.
Of the two meters, one will measure the electricity you use and the other, the renewable electricity you generate and contribute to the grid. When the Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) meter reader comes by, you will receive two bills – one is the usual electricity bill you have to pay to the utility, and the other is for the electricity that it has to pay to you (both bills are kept separate and won’t cancel each other out, so if you don’t pay your bill, they won’t pay you in return).
Solar farms: Large-scale solar power plants are coming up all over the world. This one in Lujhu, Kaoshiung, Taiwan is touted as the largest highconcentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar energy power plant in Asia. Its 141 panels produce up to one megawatt of energy, saving up to 670 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. HCPV power plants use sets of dish reflectors and concentrating optics to focus sunlight into greater densities, which allows solar power plants to be situated in smaller areas.Doesn’t that sound good? But the best is yet to come. Under the FIT law, the electricity you generate is sold back to the utility at a premium rate.
“In a nutshell, the feed-in tariff will enable anybody, whether individual consumers or companies, to generate renewable electricity and sell it to the utilities at a premium price for a fixed period of time, usually 20 years,” said Ahmad Hadri Haris, head of the renewable energy unit at Pusat Tenaga Malaysia. Hadri also heads the feed-in tariff project team.
The feed-in tariff concept has been tried and tested in many countries, most effectively of all in Germany, which introduced it in 2000. Central to the success of FIT in Germany is Dr Herman Scheer, chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy, and founder of the non-profit European Association for Renewable Energies, EUROSOLAR. Scheer, who was in Malaysia late last year for a conference on photovoltaics, is an elected member of the German Parliament since 1980, and was the prime initiator of the German Renewable Energy Feed-in-Tariff Law. All the same, even in Germany, where the FIT law is considered to be the best-implemented in the world, it was not smooth sailing at first.
According to Scheer, power companies were against the implementation of feed-in tariffs at the beginning and all four major power utilities in Germany tried to block the policy. “The structure of a conventional power centre is very centralised. They wanted to monopolise the electricity supply and the feed-in tariff caused them to lose this monopoly,” he said. To overcome the opposition, Germany declared the feed-in tariff a law, which in turn pressured the utilities to change their priorities and start investing in renewable energy or face the prospect of losing out to others who would be doing so.
Hadri faced the same problems with the utilities in Malaysia, with the main concern being loss of revenue. Another concern was that with so many individuals generating power, it would upset their planning as they plan the energy output 10 to15 years in advance to ensure there is enough power.
“They were not confident that renewable energy could generate enough power by 2015, which is fair comment, since we haven’t had a good success story of renewable energy in Malaysia,” said Hadri, stressing that the FIT proposal will address these issues.
“In terms of future planning, the law will state that each producer of renewable energy has a goal to achieve, and they must fulfil at least 80% of that obligation or be penalised. So there should be no problems of shortage in the future.” Another hurdle is that the technology is currently still too costly for most people to afford. This results in a Catch-22 – solar panel producers cannot lower their prices because demand is low, and at the same time, demand remains low because prices are still too high for consumers.
“You need a breakthrough to overcome this vicious cycle, and that means creating a market. You must force the industry to grow first. Once you have that, then the cost lowers,” said Scheer.
He said Germany overcame the Catch-22 situation by introducing the 100,000 PV Roofs Programme which saw solar PV installed in public buildings, universities, government buildings, hotels and schools.
Instead of roof tiles, solar cells are used on the roof of this car park of a supermarket outside Montpellier, southern France.Malaysia has copied this strategy, running the Small Renewable Energy Power Programme since 2001, as well as the Suria 1000 programme since 2006, which offered subsidies to individuals who wished to install solar PV in their homes.
“Through these programmes, we have already conditioned the market. The price for solar PV has already gone down by 20% since we started Suria 1000, and we expect it to go down further once the FIT law is in place,” said Hadri.
He stressed that Suria 1000, meant to kick-start the industry here, focused only on small PV systems. To sustain the industry, he said bigger capacity generators and the feed-in tariff law were needed.
“The law will act like an umbrella that protects investors, by stipulating that the government will buy the renewable energy at a fixed price that is guaranteed for 21 years,” said Hadri.
And who will pay for the higher price of the renewable energy generated? Not TNB, but all of us. The additional cost of FIT will be added to our electricity bills. “About 2% of everyone’s bills will go into a fund. The utilities will pay consumers for the renewable electricity they generate, then claim the difference from the fund. We have calculated that the 2% collected is almost guaranteed to be more than the cost of sustaining the FIT,” said Hadri.
Now, before crying foul about the higher electricity bill, consider this: based on the current tariff, about 30 to 40% of every Ringgit paid to TNB is subsidised by the government. With plans to eventually remove this subsidy, the cost of electricity is set to go up. Factor in the cost of generating and transporting electricity to your homes, that 2% increase for the FIT is actually a tiny amount – less than 1 sen per unit, based on 2009 tariffs.
“Whether we like it or not, the cost of electricity will go up in the future,” said Hadri. “What we’re doing now is to give the public an opportunity to make an income to offset that cost.”
The low income group is insulated from future costs increase because those who use less than 200 units of electricity are still subsidised.
Hadri said the benefits of implementing FIT far outweigh the costs. “It has been proven in Germany that the cost to society will be far less than the benefits, especially in terms of the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, energy savings, fossil fuel use, and infrastructure. And that’s not even taking into account the impact on the economy in terms of new jobs or manufacturing revenue.”
The proposal for FIT was completed last April. All that is needed now is for the Government to make the decision and pass the FIT law. Hadri warned that the longer the Government drags its feet, the more we stand to lose out.
“Taiwan passed their FIT law last April and endorsed it in June 2009, and many other countries are already implementing it. If Malaysia is slow to pass our law, then all the potential market and business will go to the other countries first. So the danger is that by the time we introduce our FIT, we might be left with scraps and leftovers.”
It is proposed that a dedicated agency be set up under the FIT law to manage the fund.
It will be like a one-stop centre to ensure FIT runs smoothly, handling everything from setting and achieving goals to collecting data, facilitating infrastructure, managing funds and rates, working with banks, and training small and medium scale enterprises.
“The agency has to be accountable and transparent. We are even putting in a clause in the act that makes it a criminal offence to misuse the fund,” said Hadri.
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Environmental Development in Malaysia 