GEORGE TOWN: Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) has urged the federal government and relevant agencies to make public impact assessments and seek feedback prior to their approval.
The non-governmental organisation said these should include social impact assessments (SIA), traffic impact assessments (TIA) and radiological impact assessments (RIA).
SIA and TIA are required for relevant development projects prior to the granting of planning permission under the Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) 1976 while RIA is needed under the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 in dealing with radioactive waste prior to the granting of a licence for keeping such waste.
Currently, none of these impact assessments are made public or require public feedback or comments prior to the granting of approvals by the relevant authorities.
SAM president Meenakshi Raman said although the SIA process does involve some consultations with those likely to be affected by the project, how these concerns had been taken into account and addressed in the impact assessment was not known or made transparent.
"We believe that these impact assessments must follow the procedures that exist in relation to environmental impact assessments (EIA) under the Environmental Quality Act 1974, where public participation and feedback are required for major projects with serious impacts, prior to any EIA approval.
"Moreover, it is also not possible to view such impact assessments as there is no requirement to make them public.
"Having impact assessments done and not making them public for comments beforehand is not good governance and does not augur well for transparency in decision-making," she said today.
Meenakshi cited the case of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Penang, which is of major controversy in the state.
She said the SIA or the TIA were not made public and concerned citizens were unable to view the findings and conclusions of these assessments.
"How can the authorities expect the public to have confidence in the decisions they take if such assessments are not subject to independent scrutiny?
"The same is the case in the current ongoing controversy over the Kampung Bohol flood retention pond in the Federal Territory.
"The SIA and TIA for the proposed housing project in the area should be made public so that there is independent scrutiny as to the adverse impacts on the communities nearby," she added.
Further, Meenakshi said, in the case of an RIA involving radioactive waste, which has grave implications for human health and welfare, it was imperative and prudent to make the impact assessment public to provide an assurance that all health and safety concerns have been considered and public comments and independent scrutiny have been provided.
She noted that, by doing so, public confidence and trust in the decision-making process could be assured.
"Otherwise, a lack of transparency gives rise to doubts as to whether decisions are being made properly or behind closed doors to advance the interests of big corporate players and their powerful backers.
"We hope the federal government will heed this call and take all the necessary measures for greater transparency and accountability in decision-making," she said.