I was nearly brought to tears when I first read about the fate of the poor Malayan tiger which died at the Malacca Zoo back in October. The poor creature was caught in a poacher's trap had to have its front paw amputated. Despite desperate attempts by the veterinarians at the Malacca zoo, the tiger died of infection and extreme stress. It is estimated that there are about 500 Malayan tigers left in our jungles.
If cases similar to the Malayan tiger happened in any of the Scandinavian countries, there would be an outroar (pardon the pun) from the public. The only action I've seen here is reading about it in the papers. Our antipathy only serves to highlight the Malaysian relationship with nature.
It is hoped that by 2020, we will be a developed nation. We hope to have the most advanced banking system infrastructure, public transport that rivals London together with first world infrastructure. But none of these will matter if we keep our third world mentality. Being a developed country is not just about the level of income in our economy. It is not about achieving a GDP of a high income economy.
It is how we think. It is how we treat those who need our help the most. It is how we treat the poor, the disabled, the old. It is how we treat nature, how we treat the environment, how we treat animals and wildlife. These are what make a country truly first world.
I was thrilled to read when the newest Carrefour decided to forgo plastic bags completely. I try my best never to use plastic bags when I go shopping, making sure that I carry my own reusable bag which I tuck away in my handbag. I have seen some attempts by other supermarkets to cut down the use of plastic bags by selling reusable canvas bags.
But all these attempts are half-hearted, or just in my opinion, done to be seen as being ‘with it’ with the trend as opposed concerning the customer’s convenience or being more environmentally conscious. The green/blue canvas bags sold at many supermarkets are square shaped, shallow and have handles which are far too long, making it difficult to carry items that are long and bulky. In one rather ironic case, I saw a reusable bag sold at the supermarket wrapped in plastic.
Supermarkets aren’t the only ones who seem to be jumping into the ‘with it’ trend. Guardian pharmacies were recently giving away free reusable bags, after a purchase of over RM150. RM150 is a very steep price for reusable bags. Granted, they were much nicer on the eyes compared to those sold at supermarkets and being more or less the same shape and size of regular supermarket plastic bags, they were the perfect substitute. Despite the steep price, it being sold out in such a short period of time just proved that RM150 worth of purchases at a pharmacy is not so uncommon after all. But that’s the other problem, how quickly those ‘Reusable bags which aren’t ugly and I don’t mind walking around with’ were sold out. So what’s the point?
I think it is important for the government to have a stronger stand on this issue. They should tax supermarkets which use plastic bags (thereby increasing short-term tax revenue), this will force supermarkets to charge customers for plastic bags, which in turn will force the customer to bring their own bags. Reduce the prices of the more environmentally friendly rubbish bags sold at the supermarket.
Another problem is recycling. I remember back in school when they were trying to promote recycling. It was in no way motivating, students found it a waste of time and even the teachers found it tiresome. The project was short lived. Recycling centers have turned into rubbish dumping grounds.
I can go on and on about ways to be more environmentally friendly but the sad fact is, most people who read the papers already know it but they just cannot do much about it. They recycle at home, but when the rubbish truck picks up the rubbish, the papers, plastic, cans and biodegradables all get mixed up anyway. They buy reusable canvas bags in the supermarket to find out that they are more of a nuisance. Majority just don't care. I barely see any remote interest in our country with regards to the Copenhagen climate summit.
So what makes us different from those in Belgium when it comes to wildlife and the environment? It is education and enforcement. It is following through on environmental education. It is not just having a few half-hearted campaigns every couple of years and hoping for the best afterwards. It is an ongoing battle.
This I see as Malaysia’s greatest weakness. The lack of follow through on every campaign, ambition and dreams that we have, from maintenance of buildings, to commitments on billion dollar investments in cybernetic infrastructure, to the further development of Islamic banking, Math and Science in English, or in the case of this article, campaigning for the environment and wildlife protection. Over and over again we come up with such bombastic ideas but you know what? It will all count for nothing if we don’t emphasize that post-project plans are just as important, if not more so, then the projects themselves.
Take a stand and actually keep with it. Environmental awareness isn’t a trend. Promote wildlife campaigns and actually stick with it. Making sure enforcement is on-going is just as important as making sure there is any enforcement at all. Wildlife and environmental education should evolve just like any other part of education.
The lives of our future, our jungles and our beloved tigers depend on it.
