Six young Malaysians, aged 18 to 30, have taken the government to court over deforestation demanding the government honour its long-standing pledge to keep at least half of the country’s land covered by forest.
At the heart of the case is a figure from expert reports cited in the application: between 4.27 and 4.51 million hectares of natural forest. It is roughly the size of Switzerland — has been earmarked for commercial conversion, which the applicants warn could push forest coverage below the 50% threshold the government has publicly committed to maintaining.
The applicants are seeking declarations that constitutional rights have been violated, and mandatory orders compelling the government to take all necessary steps — including through the National Land Council — to restore and maintain 50% forest coverage, with progress reports submitted every 90 days.
If people STAY QUITE, rights can so easily be eroded > and that is WHY all citizens of a country, who are the owners of Malaysia and all the lands, rivers, etc of Malaysia MUST SPEAK UP and Act. If not, before you know it, OUR rights and FREEDOMS gets eroded by reason of bad State Actions.
Promises and pledges of politicians and government alone are NOT enough - sometime there is a need for LAW that protects our rights, freedoms, the environment, the river,... and the other option is to get COURT ORDERS to protect our forest, rights, etc..
ARE these 6 persons 'BUSY BODIES' - in a country where most people just are concerned about themselves and their family well being only - so they stay SILENT - BEWARE silence is sometimes wrongly interpreted by the government and others as 'CONSENT' - so, they continue doing things that are wrong...
...deforestation was driving rising temperatures, biodiversity loss, and increased flooding, which caused RM933.4 million in losses in 2024.
What will our Malaysian COURTS do? Would they hear the case on the merits and give a GOOD decision, OR will the Courts BLOCK the application for Judicial Review - using some 'technicalities' like 'LOCUS STANDI'('you have no right to file this court action', etc.) - I hope the Court at least hears the Judicial Review on the MERITS - and deliver a JUST decision..
How can Malaysians help - well, this case will not benefit these young people financially - and there will be the monies to be paid for the commencement/continuation of this case...and there is also the RISK that if they lose, the COURTS may order a DETERRENT COST order, which just happened in another Public Interest case on Lynas PDF - that wanted the Court to review the planning permission for the Permanent Depository Facility > it was a GOOD case - and would it not be BETTER if the Courts could see whether the planning permission was given CORRECTLY by the said 'political appointee' Local Council, etc... Court ordered the one who filed to pay RM25,000 each to the 4 Defendants >> One wonders whether Malaysian Courts are 'going down the drain' at times when people challenge the Government??? see
Did
Malaysian Courts use 'SLAPP like' methods to DETER people from applying
for Judicial Review of Government Decisions? RM100,000 cost is UNJUST -
in a JR application on Lynas PDF ?
Six Young Malaysians Sue Government Over Forest Promise Made In Dr Mahathir’s Era
Six young Malaysians, aged 18 to 30, have taken the government to court over deforestation, demanding it honour a pledge first made in 1992 by then-prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to keep at least half of Malaysia’s land under forest cover
Filepix for illustration purpose only.
KUALA LUMPUR (April 7): Six Malaysian youths have filed a judicial review against the government and the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, demanding urgent action to halt deforestation and uphold Malaysia’s pledge to maintain at least 50% forest cover.
The suit, lodged on Feb 28, 2026, challenges the government’s alleged failure to safeguard forest commitments made since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, when then-prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad pledged to keep half of Malaysia’s land under forest cover.
The six applicants, aged 18-30, include students and climate advocates from Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, Sarawak and Johor. They were represented by a legal team led by Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and Lim Wei Jiet.
The relief sought include declarations that constitutional rights have been violated, and mandatory orders requiring the government to take all necessary measures, including through the National Land Council to restore and maintain 50% forest cover, with progress updates every 90 days, according to a statement by the six individuals, namely Abe Lim, 30; Sitti Fatimah, 25; Winona Elisha Jemak, 23; Lee Yu Dong, 20; Adom Teh, 20; and Amira Aliya, 18.
Additionally, an expert report cited in the application warned that 4.27 to 4.51 million hectares of natural forest were earmarked for conversion, which could reduce forest cover to between 47.4% and 49.6%, thus breaching the 50% threshold, the statement read.
Hearing for a leave for judicial review has been scheduled on May 14 at the Kuala Lumpur High Court. - Edge, 7/4/2026
6 youths file judicial review to enforce Malaysia’s forest cover pledge
They also want a declaration that their rights to life and equality were violated due to the government’s failure to maintain 50% forest cover.
The application was filed at the High Court here on Feb 28 by Abe Lim, Sitti Fatimah, Winona Elisha Jemak, Lee Yu Dong, Adom Teh, and Amira Aliya.
They are seeking a mandamus for the government to take all necessary measures, including through the National Land Council, to achieve and maintain 50% forest cover, with progress updates every 90 days.
They also want a declaration that their rights to life and equality under Article 5(1) and Article 8(1) of the Federal Constitution have been violated.
They claimed that the government’s inaction violated principles, including the doctrine of legitimate expectation, based on decades of promises to maintain 50% forest cover, and the public trust doctrine, which requires that natural resources be protected for the public and future generations rather than given to private interests.
The application comes in the context of Malaysia’s pledge to maintain at least 50% of its land mass under forest and tree cover, first made at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
However, the six youths cited a 2024 European Commission scientific report showing that 4.27 million to 4.51 million hectares were earmarked for commercial conversion, which could drop forest cover to below 50%.
Lim Wei Jiet, representing the six applicants alongside Ambiga Sreenevasan, said the youths had stepped forward not only for their own sake, but also for future generations and all children in Malaysia.
“This is a nationwide effort, and we are proud to be part of it,” he said.
Ambiga said she wanted to apologise on behalf of her generation, which created the problem the youth were now facing.
“Today’s youth are anxious about the future and uncertain even about having children. This is a terrible legacy, and the problem must be urgently addressed. I am proud of the plaintiffs for stepping forward,” she said.
One of the applicants, Abe, said a significant portion of Malaysia’s natural forests had already been earmarked for conversion to commercial use.
“Our natural forest in Malaysia has already been earmarked for conversion for commercial ventures across Malaysia, totalling between 4.27 million and 4.5 million hectares,” she said.
She added that deforestation was driving rising temperatures, biodiversity loss, and increased flooding, which caused RM933.4 million in losses in 2024. - FMT, 7/4/2026
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