Stop blame game and unite to protect nature from harm.

THE environment is precious to us all. And The Star has always been at the forefront in highlighting issues that threaten our natural heritage.

Few countries on Earth are blessed with the natural resources that Malaysia has. Our hills, our rivers and our seas are teeming with life. And we know that everything in life is connected.

Our natural legacy: Our mountains, rivers and seas need us to work together to protect it for future generations.

The Star has always recognised that we, the people, are but mere trustees of the Web of Life that God has blessed us with.

Today, the Green Agenda is embraced by many who would not have cared at all previously.

Today, the environmental activist can be anyone from a tree-hugger to someone in suit and tie. Politicians and captains of industry know that they ignore environmental concerns at their own peril.

The Earth, however, remains fragile because the onslaughts are by no means over. There is still a long way to go.

But this newspaper is proud to state that it has passionately embraced the Green Agenda long before others hopped onto the bandwagon.

The montage you see on this page is just a small sampling of the many exposes we have published through the years. It shows our consistency in highlighting what is blatantly wrong.

Our natural resources are not demarcated by territorial boundaries. Trees and animals certainly do not know whether a state is ruled by one party or another.

If our hills are being cut away, we say so. If our forests are in danger of disappearing, we say so. If our rivers are in peril, we say so. If our marine paradises are turning into nightmares, we say so.

Through our activism, we are proud to say that many policies have been reversed. We are proud to have played a part in having national parks, such as Endau-Rompin, gazetted.

More importantly, we believe that our constant coverage of such issues, which also include present-day environmental issues like climate change, consumerist lifestyles, recycling etc, have done a lot to make Malaysians more aware of the environment.

One thing we have to understand is that on matters of land and water, it is the state that has the control of these resources.

In fact, one of the biggest problems has always been the conflict between the federal will and state interests.

The Federal Government has always had to struggle with some states, even those from the ruling coalition, who are unwilling to do their part to preserve the environment.

This has been a consistent problem, whatever the state government of the day.

Protecting our environment requires the effort of all parties. We should all be united for the common good.

The environment is a worthwhile cause that is more important than the sum total of all individuals, even if they consider themselves political kingpins.

It’s time to stop the blame game.

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