Mr. Karam Singh Walia, by all standards, is definitely Malaysia’s most well-known environmental journalist. Almost every week, it seems almost everyday to me, a less-than-popular Malay idiom will come out of his mouth with his hands flying in the air relentlessly, comically.
For at least five years now, he has been highlighting all the little local environmental issues on Malaysian air. By little, by no way do I mean insignificant. In fact, he’s the one that is doing more to green’s cause than anybody else that I could think of at the moment. More importantly, he is perhaps one of the few that are fostering green grassroots in the country.
According to World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia, two of his notable works are:
Of particular note, in October 2000, Karam’s coverage of Cameron Highlands placed highland forest conservation issues firmly in the public eye. His efforts in Cameron Highlands resulted in the Federal Cabinet’s freeze on development in the highlands. Subsequently, a special Cabinet Committee on Co-ordination of Highlands and Islands was formed to help plan and manage developments of highlands and islands in the country.
In 2002, Karam took up the issue on the threats to the Bukit Gasing green belt in Petaling Jaya. There was an immediate response from the government and within 24 hours of the first newscast, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur had promised to gazette its part of the hill as a protected area.
A net search reveals that he has won several awards. Last year according to WWF-Malaysia further, the Sultan of Perak, which is the organization patron, conferred Mr. Karam Singh Walia with Patron’s Award last year.
So, yeah, if there is to be a green party in Malaysia, I’ll nominate Karam Singh Walia as the party’s president!
Yeah! And the __earthinc welcomes Mr. Annan back from his prolonged vacation over the Pacific. He’ll be visiting Pengkalan Pasir soon to investigate current influx of aliens into the area. Rumors have it that these aliens have more than doubled human population there. Worse and to many’s horror, these aliens, allegedly, are stealing people’s genital in the open!
p/s – damn. should end this entry with a pantun?
pp/s – whoa! Zarqawi, that alleged Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, might be dead! (via Iraq The Model via Pito’s Salas via Technorati).
If the leak is confirmed, what an achievement it is – it hasn’t been too long since Southeast Asian bomber was killed in Indonesia. This might demoralize all those terrorists. Osama Bin Laden, the real wanted man, is still somewhere out there, however.
Then again, which GM workers care about Zarqawi and all the hocus-pocus when GM plans to cut 30,000 jobs, eh?
3 replies on “[664] Of Karam Singh Walia for president!”
Hi there.. don’t be so quick to put this guy on the pedestal. Karam singh walia got an innocent guy arrested in front of the camera for tv3 (they released him at the back of the house.) He claimed that this guy was ‘stealing’ plants when he was actually nursing them according to a reliable source in the media. When police were questioned and told of their unwarranted request, they were reluctant to do anything about it because it’s the famous ‘karam singh’. So please, it’s disgusting putting this guy on a pedestal. Do more research with the people on the ground, and don’t just rely on the internet ok? There are many honest environmentalist in malaysia who don’t need glamour. Karam singh is one that makes a living being famous and does ‘safe’ stories and not those that will truly make a difference.
you are excited about Keane’s departure aren’t you?
pftt. I’m just happy that man utd is not at the top.
one of the soccernet headline reads:”Gerrard expecting fresh faces at Anfield very soon”
hmmm… imaging that new face to be Roy Keane…. WOW… following in the footstep of Paul Ince… now tat would be something!!!