A year ago I could never have imagined even in my wildest dreams, saying this - I am impressed with the leadership being shown by Sarawak’s chief minister.

His zero tolerance attitude towards illegal logging and associated corruption is commendable and winning plaudits worldwide. Adenan Satem is a rare example of a leader who walks his talk on this issue.

Speaking as someone who monitors environmental news worldwide and publishes a daily newspaper on the same subject, I can’t think of another head of government in the world who displays such a zeal for eradicating illegal logging and associated corruption.

I’m quite sure stamping out illegal logging in Sarawak will remain a work in progress for quite some time. No one can turn back decades of criminality in one year. What I can say is this; Sarawak is currently leading the world. In most countries plagued by illegal logging it’s only going from bad to worse.

There are plenty of government people the world over who talk openly about clamping down on illegal logging, but this chief minister is the only person I see ‘walking the talk’. He deserves our thanks and support.   

SEAN WHYTE is CEO, Nature Alert.