The Prime Minister is right in a sense when he claims that palm oil has not been the motor for deforestation. That motor has been plain and simple criminal greed the part of mega thieves like Taib Mahmud and his Sarawak accomplices.

But the end result is the same. Land cleared from tropical forest is primarily used for palm oil cultivation and appears to have little other viable use. Apart, of course, from being re-forested to help combat climate change.

The fact of the matter is that the oil obtained from plantations on former tropical forest land cannot be sold in European markets because pubic opinion in those countries demands sustainable policies.

What needs to be done is to work on a responsible approach towards existing plantations and to begin the reforestation of Malaysian Borneo without delay. Not only is this necessary to restore a huge national asset but it is also an imperative in the fight against climate change.

As the whole world is affected by that change there is world wide interest in re-forestation projects and Malaysia should be in the forefront, aded by international financial help and expertise.

All the damage, and it is huge, has been done by a small group of unscrupulous businessmen aided and abetted by their political backers and facilitated by global banks and the off shore system.

Billions upon billions have been grabbed and stashed away in “safe” jurisdictions. Those can be traced and recovered. All that is necessary is for the Malaysian government to act. The evidence is there waiting to be used. What seems to be missing is the political will to act. The future and the voters are unwilling to forgive failure.