Short-term thinking is destroying our rainforests

THE Kedah state government’s rush to resume logging activities in the Greater Ulu Muda Forest and the Terengganu state government’s decision to degazette the Belara Forest Reserve to make way for plantations are proof that politicians are incapable of thinking of the long-term consequences of their decisions or prioritising the future of the planet and country.

Clearly, lessons taught by the Covid-19 pandemic on the importance of preserving ecological balance and biodiversity are lost on Malaysian political leaders, who are not wired for long-term thinking.