KUCHING: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation Sdn Bhd (SFCSB) wishes to inform the public and members of the media not to get confused by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) and SFCSB.
Its chief executive Officer, Zolkipli Mohamad Aton, said there has been confusion regarding the SFC and SFCSB that needs to be cleared.
“Sarawak Forestry is a brand. As for SFC, it is a statutory body, while SFCSB is a subsidiary company of SFC,” he said during a media appreciation lunch organised by SFCSB yesterday.
He explained that the SFC is run and managed by SFCSB. SFC has two members in SFCSB’s board of directors (BoDs).
“SFC is headed by a chairman who at the moment is Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg. SFCSB, on the other hand, is headed by Datu Len Talif Salleh, who is Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Assistant Minister. Often in newspapers, it is written that Talif is the chairman of SFC, which is wrong,” he said.
He then said SFCSB has been in operation for 16 years, while SFC was launched in 2003.
“SFCSB is a company fully owned by the state government (GLC) to position Sarawak at the forefront of sustainable forest management and conservation,” he said.
He said SFCSB is governed by its four major ordinance namely Sarawak Forestry Corporation Ordinance, 1995; Forests Ordinance, 1958; National Parks and Nature Reserves Ordinance, 1998 and Wild Life Protection Ordinance, 1998.
“In order words, SFCSB is in the business of forest operations and compliance as well as the protection and conservation of wildlife and Totally Protected Areas (TPAs),” he said.
However, he mentioned there had been occasions where the roles and functions of SFCSB are realigned by the state government to ensure there is no duplication of work with its sister agency, the Forestry Department Sarawak.
“If there may be duplication of work, for a good cause, it is to further protect our forests,” he pointed out.
On another note, he hoped the cooperation between SF and the media, be it printed or online, would be strengthened and maintained.
“Today, we would like to treat you all to show our appreciation for all the great work you have been doing in reporting the news and investigative reports with integrity and accountability,” he said.
He said the media played critical and important roles as they are the frontliners of SFCSB.
