KUALA LUMPUR: A group of people from the Climate Emergency Coalition of Malaysia (GDIMY) held a protest in front of the Parliament building here against the Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) Bill here on Wednesday.
GDIMY, which comprises representatives from various environmental groups and non-governmental organisations such as Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism, Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam and Greenpeace Malaysia, called for Senators to reject the CCUS Bill in the ongoing Dewan Negara meeting.
The protest was led by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) environmental bureau head Suresh Kumar Balasubramaniam who later handed over a memorandum Senator Mohd Hasbie Muda's special officer.
Suresh claimed that the Bill had been "bulldozed" through Parliament without sufficient engagement with the public and stakeholders.
"The Bill's first reading was on March 4 and it was passed on March 6, leaving little time for public scrutiny or consultation.
"Moreover, civil society organisations were only offered a single consultation session in June 2024 with limited follow-up," he said.
Suresh also questioned the lack of any climate governance framework before new technologies like CCUS are implemented.
"It fails to address the unique risks of permanent carbon storage, where leakage could have devastating long-term consequences for communities and ecosystems," he said.
The memorandum called for a revision of the CCUS Bill to include the establishment of an independent oversight and advisory body.
It also called for the National Climate Change Bill to be passed first, which would act as a governing framework for the CCUS Bill.
The protest concluded around noon.
The CCUS Bill, was passed in the Dewan Rakyat on March 6 and will be debated and voted on in the Dewan Negara before it is presented to the King for Royal Assent and eventual gazettement.
Economy Minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, whose ministry proposed the Bill, said they aim to enforce the Bill by March 31.
