Malaysian politicians aren’t exactly renowned for taking responsibility. They are, however, prone to occasional bouts of candor. It was during such a moment that Prime Minister Najib Razak owned up to his government’s failure to prevent the environmental calamity caused by rampant bauxite mining in Pahang. “Of course, sometimes we…

Three months always seemed like precious little enough time for a ban on bauxite mining in Pahang, given the extent of environmental pollution in Kuantan. Malaysian environmentalists have been calling for an extension to the government-imposed moratorium, which is scheduled to expire on April 15, and they may yet get…