KOTA KINABALU: Various parties are still not happy despite an explanation given by the state Attorney General’s Chambers on the status of the controversial Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA) on carbon trading.

       Parti Warisan secretary-general Datuk Loretto Padua said while they appreciated the clarification from the state AG, key concerns including how the agreement came about and was signed without Sabahans knowing about it or being consulted, have not been addressed.

       “How is it that a project this big involving some two million hectares of land itself with a 100-year lease, affecting thousands of natives, was prepared and signed without any of us knowing?

       “The issue is not the agreement itself but how the agreement came about,” he said.

       On Wednesday, Sabah AG Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof said that the NCA was still not enforceable as due diligence was still being conducted on the third-party company involved, while matters regarding the terms of the agreement were still being fine-tuned.

       NGOs in Sabah have also voiced similar concerns and are calling for transparent technical consultation.

       These NGOs are Borneo Futures, Danau Girang Field Centre, Ezplast Solution, Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), Sabah Environment Trust, Sabah Human Rights Centre, Sabah Reform Initiative and the South-East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership.

       Others like the Society for Equality, Respect And Trust For All (SERATA), WWF Malaysia and Zero Waste Sabah) have also raised questions.

       Dr Robecca Jumin, Sabah Head of WWF-Malaysia, said that the Voluntary Offset Carbon market was based upon principles of transparency, sound governance and additionality.

       “Given the urgency of climate change, and the possibility of ‘carbon cowboy’ scandals, these standards are getting stricter. Unless seriously addressed, Sabah will not be able to market its carbon, especially not in premium markets,” she said.

       Dr Rahimatsah Amat, founder of the Sabah Environmental Trust, said a proper analysis was needed to look into the forest stratum.

       LEAP’s Cynthia Ong wondered if the deal had adhered to the national guidelines on international carbon trading which has regulations to protect the integrity of carbon accounting that are required under international agreements.