Infamous Malaysian quotes on Oil Palm.

“The best way to improve your golf is to chop down the rainforest…We get too much rain in Sarawak… it stops me from playing golf.”

James Wong, Sarawak’s Minister of Environment and Tourism (and at the time logging concession holder) on deforestation and climate disruption at a meeting between Wong and an international mission on native rights and rainforests (1988).

“Our efforts towards sustainable forest management have been on-going for 100 years since 1901. Since then, our forests have been managed in a sustainable manner (…)”.

Plantation, Industries and Commodities Minister Peter Chin, 4 January 2005

“In Malaysia, the expansion of oil palm plantations over the last decade came from conversion of other economic crops, i.e. rubber, cocoa and coconut, while the balance came from logged-over forests of areas zoned for agriculture.”

Yusof Basiron, director Malaysian Palm Oil Council, 2006.

"By 1990 we have stopped approving new jungle areas to becovered under plantations.”

Yusof Basiron, director Malaysian Palm Oil Council, 19 May 2006.

“We are not cutting down forests. Most plantations are in their second or third planting cycle, so we are planting on the same plot of land.”

Michael Dosim Lunjew, Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities Secretary-General, 15 May 2007.

“We will not use virgin jungle and forest reserves for oil palm cultivation. So the issues written by the foreign press and non-government organizations on deforestation are not occurring in Malaysia.”

Peter Chin, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, 28August 2007.

“The government will not allow the clearing of forest areas for any new oil palm plantations. We don’t have to reduce the protected forests to increase new oil palm plantations.”

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, 25 June 2008.

“Sarawak is not facing the destruction of its forests and ecosystem as a result of the cultivation of oil palm.”

Abdul Taib Mahmud, Sarawak’s Chief Minister, 26 June 2008.

Blatantly lifted from FOF Oil Palm 2008 Report.