Kota Kinabalu: Renowned Sabahan environmentalist SM Muthu has passed away aged 75.
The Sabah branch of the Malaysian Nature Society announced their vice chairman's death on Facebook.
“He was a dedicated environmentalist and nature lover who was untiring in conserving and protecting our natural environment especially in Sabah. He will be dearly missed,” they said in the Facebook post.
Facebook user Elaine Kong wrote a tribute in the post’s comments section: “RIP to a real warrior for the environment, human rights and social justice.”
“[His] ‘green’ t-shirt reminds me of the days we were together fighting against ‘coal-fired power plant’ in Sabah,” another Facebook user, Roy Imbak, recalled.
The Sabah Environment Protection Association’s (Sepa) former president, Wong Tack, said Muthu had always focused on protecting Sabah’s environment for future generations, The Star reported.
“He was firm and courageous. He would raise issues when others were reluctant,” he was quoted as saying.
SM Muthu was one of the activists who spoke for the sake of Sabah’s environment preservation in opposition to a coal power plant construction plan in the 2010s, alongside Sepa led by Wong at the time.
The activist movement, including international efforts, led to the government’s final decision to not proceed with the construction.
He was fighting cancer before passing away.
