PRESERVE AND PROTECT

Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah

The movement, called the Royal Maritime Environmental Awareness (RMEA) programme, is slated to be a crucial part of the Malaysia World Maritime Week hosted by the Ministry of Transport and its agency, Marine Department of Malaysia. The RMEA was meticulously structured and conceptualised in accordance with the Bali Declaration signed by the Asia Pacific Countries of maritime pilots in Bali, Indonesia on August 30, 2017, where Malaysia was a signatory country. During a short harbour tour off Port Klang, Tengku Amir Shah was perplexed and worried as he noticed the presence of plastic pollutants that appeared on the surface of the sea, which ended up occupying the stretch of coastline during low tide, and insisted that immediate action be taken. According to captain Martin Lim, the president and chairman of Maritime Pilots Malaysia, RMEA will not only raise the awareness of the public on the importance of maritime environmental protection, but also mitigates solutions to counter existing issues through seamless synergy with private companies as well as organisations such as governmental agencies and ministries. Also present during the officiation ceremony was Dato’ Kamarudin Jaafar, deputy transport minister of Malaysia who said, “Raising the awareness among the public, educating the young on the importance of environmental care is, beyond doubt, crucial and fundamental. However, effective solutions to rectify any harmful conditions, including enforcement is equally important. These have been the integral framework of the RMEA.” Private or public companies, entities or organisations are duly encouraged to be associate partners of RMEA, so let’s do what we can to spur on this movement. For more information, visit mpmhq.org.my.