KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 30 — Klang MP Charles Santiago has called on MPs from across the Asean region to play their role and urge their respective country leaders to invest in smart policies to transition countries to a green economy.
Speaking during a webinar on the release of a new report by the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) called Building Back Better: South-east Asia’s transition to a green economy after Covid-19, the lawmaker — who is also chair of APHR — said that the Covid-19 pandemic has provided the best opportunity to move towards a green economy.
“The Covid-19 pandemic, and the economic recession that followed, has brought into sharp focus the injustices ingrained in our current economic model, which for too long has pursued profits over people and the environment, exacerbated existing inequalities, and done nothing to protect the most vulnerable.
“The economic recovery from the pandemic has presented the perfect opportunity to change towards a green and sustainable economy that works for everyone.”
“While our governments have so far fallen drastically short when it comes to implementing much-needed policy changes, as MPs we have a crucial role to play, and must do everything we can to urge the leaders in our region to invest in smart policies for a green transition,” Charles said.
The report showed that governments have adopted limited green policy measures as part of their national Covid-19 recovery plan, but these measures have been undermined by numerous “brown policies” that increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The report also shared several suggestions that parliamentarians in Malaysia can do to push the country towards a green economy, such as raising awareness on GDP losses, human rights violations, and delayed economic recovery of not submitting more ambitious NDCs as the climate crisis intensifies.
The report also suggested that MPs work with the Climate Change Action Council to get a clear mandate on climate action from the Prime Minister’s Office, which will help guide the Covid-19 recovery, and enact legislative provisions of rebates on electric vehicle purchases and investment support for pilot electric vehicle projects, including capital grants and loan guarantees.
Other suggestions include incentivising the training and hiring of workers in sectors beneficial to the green economy through labour reactivation programmes such as Pemerkasa and developing legislation to hold private companies accountable for climate-related human rights violations in consultation with constituents and civil society actors.
