Adenan meets NGOs in London, asking them to assist him with necessary reforms

 LONDON, May 5, 2015 -Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem  surprised the public last night in London with a pledge to save the Borneo state’s remaining forests and to fight timber corruption.

In a speech at the Malaysian High Commission, he underlined that a transformation towards sustainability was vital for Sarawak’s timber industry and he called on NGOs to assist with the necessary reforms.

"No more timber concessions are being given out“, he said, adding:"No more palm oil is needed – cukup (there is enough).“ 

 Adenan (seated, with Doris Jones, BMF executive director Lukas Strausmann and Penan researcher and activist Mutang Urud.

He also said he regarded the forest not only as a timber resource but as a value in itself.

He stressed that he was determined to fight illegal logging and timber corruption "until the last log is accounted for“.

Adenan, who became chief minister in Feb last year, thus distanced himself surprisingly clearly from the policies of his predecessor, Tun Taib Mahmud,  who had been chief minister for 33 years.

 Adenan even welcomed Sarawak Report editor Clare Brown, one of Taib's fiercest critics, among the guests. But no indication was given by the enigmatic politician if he was willing to recover the state assets stolen by the Taib family. 

Fugitive Doris Jones, who is wanted by the Malaysian police, also met with Adenan at the dialogue.

After his speech, Adenan was approached by an indigenous Penan delegation from Sarawak’s Upper Baram region. (picture,right)

The Penan handed the Chief Minister a letter in which they called for the official endorsement of the Penan Peace Park, a community-administered nature reserve in the interior of Borneo.