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The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Digital reform roadmap a good move but gaps remain
PETALING JAYA: Other ministries must emulate the Legal Affairs Division's (BHEUU) initiative to publish a digital roadmap on the government's reforms and new laws, say experts and civil society groups. 'Consistently publishing detailed updates will allow the public to have a better understanding of the status of ongoing reform initiatives,' says the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4). The digital roadmap, Petari, which was published on May 23, would address the disconnect people feel with the lawmaking process, said C4's chief executive officer, Pushpan Murugiah. 'Over the past few years, BHEUU has shown its dedication to inclusive and participatory policymaking – which is a practice that should be followed by other ministries,' said Pushpan. 'For instance, the public would benefit from having similar transparency on the status of development of amendments to the Official Secrets Act, and Printing Presses and Publications Act, which are under the Home Ministry,' he said. While other organisations have commended BHEUU's initiative, they also argued that the roadmap is missing key reforms that had been promised by Pakatan Harapan in its election manifesto. Projek Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) says the 'missing' initiatives include reforms to the appointment process for top figures in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Election Commission and the Inspector-General of Police. 'Reforms that are left out, such as those mentioned, should be considered for further studies and implementation before the term for the Madani government ends in 2027,' Projek Sama said. Petari, a Malay acronym for Peta Reformasi Institusi (Institutional Reform Roadmap) was launched by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. The digital roadmap lists 14 new Bills and amendments to existing laws that BHEUU is working on, as well as six legal studies and six strategic initiatives. The new laws include one to establish the Ombudsmans office, to regulate funding and financing for political parties and to make Parliament more independent, all of which have been targeted for tabling this year. Petari also includes amendments to the Election Offences Act, The Whistleblowers Act, the Legal Professions Act, as well as ongoing studies such as the separation of the Attorney-General and the Public Prosecutors offices and the possibility of a Human Rights Tribunal for Malaysia. Projek Sama added that to improve Petari, the government should publish clear deadlines for when the new laws and amendments will be brought to Parliament and explain any delays. Petari should also include white papers on reforms to enable better public consultations so that the best solutions can be reached, Projek Sama said. Aliran, a human rights organisation, also welcomed Petari as a positive first step towards transparent governance that allows civil society to monitor the progress of reforms. 'We welcome the inclusion in the roadmap of key legislation governing freedom of information, an ombudsman's office and the creation of a parliamentary services commission. But critical gaps persist,' Aliran said. These gaps include initiatives to remove political appointments to government-linked companies, and limits to the prime minister's power to influence the appointment of judges, Aliran said. 'All these Bills will probably be only as effective as the people appointed to lead the offices and entities established under the respective legislation. 'It is time to establish a bipartisan select committee on vetting crucial appointments. Without addressing the appointments processes, even well-designed legislation risks becoming hollow rather than providing meaningful reform,' added Aliran.
The Star
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
S'gor urged to rethink waste-to-energy policy
About 70 residents attended the public hearing session on the Batu Arang WTE project. — LEW GUAN XI/ The Star FOR decades, Malaysia has been managing its waste by burying them in landfills, which is unsustainable. Selangor's move to build waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerators, however, is also raising concerns. WTE is listed as one of the implementation initiatives under Policy MP30 of Selangor State Structure Plan 2035 (establishing a more effective and environmentally friendly solid waste and toxic management system). Pushpan is concerned about inadequate environmental governance on WTE projects. The planned WTE plant in Batu Arang, Rawang, for instance, has met with widespread objections from residents. Wong Yuenmei, a United Nations (UN) climate change consultant who has conducted extensive research on WTE, said Selangor should reassess its policy. She told StarMetro that WTE technologies did not align with current international standards. 'It is widely regarded as outdated and harmful. Some European countries are gradually phasing out WTE,' she said. It had been reported last year that hundreds of European cities are spurning incineration. Meanwhile, nearly 500 municipalities across Europe are now working towards Zero Waste City certification. Some are coming up with their own measures to reduce and recycle waste to lower their reliance on landfills and WTE incinerators. Implementing waste prevention plans and reuse strategies as well as promoting environmental education in schools are among the requirements to be certified as a Zero Waste City. Wong added that the incineration process at WTE facilities released harmful pollutants, which posed serious health risks to communities. 'It also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, further exacerbating the climate crisis. 'Hence, supporting WTE undermines Malaysia's climate goals, given its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement,' she said. She also said the cost of running WTE technologies was 'disproportionately high' compared to other waste management solutions. 'WTE plants require large financial investment and the burden of these costs ultimately falls on taxpayers,' she said. The estimated cost for the WTE plants in Jeram and Tanjung Dua Belas is more than RM1bil each, according to WorldWide Holdings Bhd (WHB), the company responsible for the construction of those facilities. The WTE plant in Batu Arang is expected to cost RM4.5bil, according to reports. Wong further said that burning waste for energy was unsustainable. Echoing the sentiment is Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (CCCC), which is among non-governmental organisations objecting to the proposed construction of 18 WTE plants in Malaysia. CCCC chief executive officer Pushpan Murugiah said WTE was not the real solution because incinerators would not only emit toxic contaminants, their presence would also exacerbate waste production due to heavy reliance on the technology. Pushpan also raised concerns about inadequate environmental governance in WTE projects. 'Current legislation at both federal and state levels have many loopholes, causing lack of transparency, data accessibility, meaningful public participation and accountability in these high-impact projects. 'The recent public hearing on a WTE project conducted by Selangor government showed a significant flaw in the system. 'Its refusal to allow further public discourse and media presence undermines the process of public participation in the session,' he said, referring to the public hearing session on the Batu Arang WTE project on March 27 in Shah Alam. Residents who attended the session had claimed that many of them were denied the chance to speak, while the media was barred from the session. Pushpan said these loopholes posed serious risks such as abuse of power. — By LEW GUAN XI
