THE Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year. As one of Malaysia’s pioneering civil society organisations, CAP is acting as the conscienc e of society. It has not only exhibited great resilience but achieved many firsts as well. Whether dealing with hazardous products, organising communities or educating consumers, CAP is proof that social activism without fear or favour is a possibility.
Unlike the mainstream consumer organisations, CAP had developed a more ambivalent relationship with the state, covering a spectrum of interactions ranging from critical collaboration to radical opposition. While CAP still performs the traditional functions of a consumer organisation, it has also developed its own world-view which has moved it beyond the traditional remit of consumer organisations towards becoming an anti-systemic or counter-hegemonic social movement based on rethinking development.
The tension that existed between CAP and the state is only to be expected because as a newly independent state, Malaysia had consciously adopted developmentalist policies as a guiding light in transforming the country from an agrarian society into an industrial state. Put in another way, developmentalism is essentially about playing catch up with the West. While the main push to uplift the socioeconomic standing of Malaysians was undertaken through various means, industrialisation guided the thinking process of policymakers, and this entails encouraging the shift from traditional methods of doing things to improving productivity by using state-of-the-art technology.
Tinkering with the environment to bring about larger surpluses is what industrialisation is all about, but, this method is slowly but surely taking its toll on humanity.
The negative externalities of “development at any cost” has been highlighted by many global institutions, the United Nations included. Today, we are facing the wrath of Mother Earth in the guise of climate change. There is no doubt that Mother Nature had taken a huge beating ever since the first industrial revolution took off in 18th century western Europe.
At the inception of the first industrial revolution, the West needed more and more raw materials and this was achieved through exploiting both the environment and human beings. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that the history of colonialism is synonymous with exploitation.
Fast forward to mid-20th century. Newly independent states like Malaysia had to grapple with uneven development, and as an entity that has to function in the world system, privileging the capitalist class whether local or foreign, was and still is a necessity.
In order to ensure that the underprivileged are not swept away by the currents of development, an organisation like CAP is needed at every stage of economic development. This is demonstrated in the first case of public litigation in Malaysia that was taken up by CAP. When a company was set up in Bukit Merah in 1979 to extract yttrium, a rare earth metal from a mineral named monazite, the residents of a nearby town Papan complained about the smell and smoke.
They also complained about difficulty in breathing. Not only that, it was discovered that some residents had leukaemia due to radiation levels that were 88 times higher than the upper limit allowed by the International Commission Radiology Protection. Tragically, the residents of Parit, a nearby town, had found out that a vacant land would be used to dump the radioactive waste. CAP and its sister organisation, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), were instrumental in organising the residents to take up this issue with the authorities. Various strategies were used to bring about the respite that was badly needed.
A Bukit Merah Action Committee was formed, comprising residents from Bukit Merah, Lahat, Menglembu and Taman Badri Shah to support the Papan residents. SAM also submitted a memorandum to the then prime minister stating that high levels of radiation existed at the open field and pond next to the factory in Bukit Merah. With assistance from CAP and SAM, eight residents on behalf of themselves and the Bukit Merah residents filed an application in the Ipoh High Court to stop the company from producing, storing and keeping radioactive waste in the vicinity of the village. The Atomic Energy Licensing Act of 1984 was enforced. It ensured that operators of nuclear installations were held liable for nuclear damage.
A five-member Atomic Energy Licensing Board was formed under the act, with representatives from Puspati, the Health and the Science, Technology and Environment Ministries.
In another instance, CAP and SAM had facilitated the residents of a rural area south of Kuala Lumpur to organise against the proposed building of a toxic waste reprocessing plant. CAP was instrumental in raising public awareness at both local and national levels about the proposed plant that would adversely affect the lives 1,879 families from seven Chinese New Villages and five Malay villages and up to 50,000 in the district. Also, public opinion was not heard, nor were alternatives explored.
These cases are a testimony that “development at any cost” is not only detrimental to the environment but to the people too. CAP had acted as a voice for the powerless.
Associate Professor Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk is Director, Centre for Policy Research and International Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia