I would like to add my support to the letter by Jason Tan, ‘Missing Ivory and Perhilitan’s Silence’. Allegations have repeatedly been made that Perhilitan has given away or sold part of a valuable load of confiscated illegal ivory. If this were true it would be a serious breach of international and national law. In my view, the only way to establish the truth is to invite TRAFFIC to audit the stock of confiscated ivory. TRAFFIC is a highly respected NGO which monitors various aspects of the illegal wildlife trade. If nothing is done soon, elephants will disappear from this planet due to the massive surge in demand for ivory in many Asian nations over the last few years. Doesn’t Malaysia want to be seen as a country trying its best to prevent this from happening? Currently it appears that Malaysia is a major destination for ivory. I agree with Tan’s and others insistence that Perhilitan must eventually publically destroy the ivory. If the Philippines can do this, why does Malaysia appear so loathe to do so? The country needs to send a strong message to the rest of the world that it is seriously tackling this awful trade and ivory will never again get into the country. It is my opinion that people are very concerned about this important issue. The killing of endangered wildlife has become a global political priority. Environment minister G Palanivel should assert his authority and hold Perhilitan publically accountable. I do not believe we are asking too much. So serious a threat to the elephant population is the ivory trade now that I see INTERPOL has as a top priority the catching of the criminals concerned. Why does Perhilitan appear so unwilling to have an independent audit?
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 07:20:30 +0000
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