YOURSAY | When our CO2 numbers don’t add up

YOURSAY | ‘Our trees can absorb carbon four times than trees in Indonesia?’

Minister defends greenhouse gas emission after under-reporting charge

Dr Raman Letchumanan: I coordinated the preparation of the ‘First National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’ in 2000.

Note the word 'communication' rather than report. Basically, countries claim they are sovereign, and don't report to anybody else, even the UN. That means don't question what I write.

So, that in a nutshell, it means countries have much leeway to report, some don't even report at all.

Of course, being the first report, we faced many challenges. In statistics, we do what we call sensitivity analysis. That is to look for any sticking sore thumbs.

A report on emissions from a local university from waste dumps showed it contributed 30 percent of total emissions compared to the world average of 10 percent. I pointed this out, and the researchers acknowledged they missed some decimal points.

The Washington Post reports: "Malaysia claims an annual forest carbon sink of over 243 million tons from just about 68,000 square miles of forested area. That’s not far from what neighbouring Indonesia claims for a forest more than five times its size."

This is an obvious sticking sore thumb. Malaysia should rebut directly such anomalies, not reproduce what they told the Post and put the blame on the UN process. The UN has already acknowledged such discrepancies but said it can only advise the countries, not instruct them.

In any case, I see such suspicious reporting not only by the Environment and Water Ministry, but the government as a whole. For example, the finance minister provided a justification that it is cheaper for the ministers, deserving of all the hard work they do, to ride in a Toyota Vellfire rather than Proton Perdana.

It was reported that RM1.4 million was spent for six months from April to September. For 30 ministers, that would work out to RM7,800 per month for lease and maintenance. But the government says it saves RM2.80 per month comparing only leasing charges. We haven't even compared fuel, which may cost double. Isn't that a sticking sore thumb that any ordinary mortal can see?

But we have to accept what our finance minister and his experts say. So, let's not get too hard on Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and his officers.

Vijay47: An almost fatal element in the Washington Post article is the final line that states what is being questioned is “Malaysia’s data integrity but not the UNFCCC process”; in effect, our numbers don’t add up.

As expected, Tuan Ibrahim made a slight but cunning twist to this conclusion by suggesting that the Post was challenging the UN process.

When we as a nation suffer a devastating lack of credibility, our every statement and report would be scrutinised with a fine-toothed comb and invariably, much falling hair would be discovered. If I am not mistaken, in our Pulau Batu Puteh case at the Hague, we actually submitted a photoshopped picture in support of our claim. Ouch!

Other than perhaps Khairy Jamaluddin, is there any minister or head of institution who is viewed with respect by the international community? Wanted posters, passports and unrestricted freedom to travel only add to the curled-lips we attract.

It must be providence that the Post report coincides with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s visit to Indonesia. Perhaps he could negotiate the sale of our standing timber to them.

Jakarta would certainly welcome Malaysian trees that can absorb four times the carbon dioxide than Indonesian trees can!

Appum: Our trees can absorb carbon four times than trees in Indonesia?

Indonesian President Joko Widodo must be laughing out loud and rolling on the floor. Can the world out there still believe in what we say after all the huge scandals and lies we have propagated universally back home?

VP Biden: The Washington Post is a credible news agency. It brought down former US president Richard Nixon by exposing the Watergate scandal.

No amount of spin by the sultans of swing is going to redeem Malaysia’s name in the international arena, more so when all eyes are on COP26 in Glasgow attended by countries that signed the UNFCCC.

6th Generation Immigrant: The "under reporting" was actually submitted by the Malaysian government, it does not even matter now which of the four governments we had in the recent short spell had actually done so – nonetheless, it was the government.

To attend the conference and represent the government now as a signatory, our minister will need to possess intellectual skills and international standing. It’s obvious that our politically-appointed minister (with a religious background and specialisation) is way below his league to be representing our nation.

We hope Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim, and we are very hopeful indeed, can help Malaysia wangle our way out of our initial disingenuous justifications, but then we are expecting too much, aren't we?

The real problem is in the practice of non-meritocracy and thousands of political and politically selected appointees helming positions in all our arms, agencies, department, etc. All these people cannot perform even simple tasks, let alone technical or scientific.

So apart from non-meritorious personnel, we have incapable politicians helming every inch of Malaysia. Hence, we always will send a duck into the international scene to crow like a rooster for and on behalf of the nation.

This is not the last, it will happen again and again until we make a paradigm shift in the governing of the nation. We need a political climate refurbishment. The fall of the Roman empire is now replaying before our very eyes for Malaysia, in real time.

Just Me: I wonder how Tuan Ibrahim will humour the world this time? This should be another round of embarrassment, of which I pray not.

We may be able to deceive Malaysians, but not the world.

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