FOR four decades now, the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (EQA) has been the main law governing all environmental matters. As such, the proposal that amendments be made to the EQA is timely. However, any amendment made must address the all-too-common pitfall of Malaysian legislation – enforcement.

Lack of enforcement coupled with tedious government red tape and difficulty for the average Malaysian to access justice would result in the best of legislations failing to live up to their intended objectives.