Climate change bill legal framework completed - Tuan Ibrahim

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) has completed the climate change legal framework in December last year which will be the basis for the development of the country's Climate Change Bill.

Its Minister, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, said that among the contents of the bill was governance which contained provisions on the institutional framework on climate change in the country, and the formation of a climate change committee.

"The establishment of the committee is to ensure that climate change adaptation can be implemented to reduce the impact of floods and so on.

"Apart from that, the content of the bill is climate change mitigation and compliance mechanisms with the rules and laws that we have developed," he said during the winding up session of the Special Meeting of the Dewan Rakyat today.

Last September, Tuan Ibrahim was reported to have said that the ministry was drafting regulations and laws to control climate change and global warming that is hitting the country.

He also said that this move was taken as Malaysia does not have such an act, and several mechanisms are planned to implement it.

Meanwhile, earlier, a commotion erupted in the Dewan Rakyat when Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Special Functions), Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad wound up the debate on the floods which hit the country at the end of last year.

Several members of Parliament (MPs) from the opposition bloc, including Khalid Abd Samad (PH-Shah Alam) and Gobind Singh Deo (PH-Puchong) intervened because they were dissatisfied with the answer given by Dr Abd Latiff.

The situation became more intense when Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak) stood up to defend Dr Abd Latiff and loudly said that the opposition bloc MPs seemed to be bullying the minister.

"They are bullying the minister. This is not fair,"said Tajuddin while blocking Hannah Yeoh (PH-Segambut), who wanted to ask for an explanation on the source of power of the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA).

Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon managed to diffuse the tense situation by asking all MPs involved to sit down and give way to Dr Abd Latiff to resume the winding up.

-- BERNAMA