Bioteknologi Moden: Aplikasi, Status, Isu Etika dan Perspektif Penyelidik dan Industri terhadap Prinsip Etika Utama (Modern Biotechnology: Applications, Status, Ethical Issues and Perspectives of Researchers and Industries on the Key Ethical Principles)

Abstract

Perkembangan bioteknologi moden di Malaysia menimbulkan pelbagai kontroversi. Terkini, Lembaga

Biokeselamatan Kebangsaan telah meluluskan 29 jenis produk kejuruteraan genetik (GE) ke dalam pasaran Malaysia. Antara isu-isu etika dalam bioteknologi moden dan produknya ialah kesan jangka masa panjang, kesan terhadap kesihatan dan alam sekitar, kesan sosio-ekonomi dan isu ‘bertindak seolah-olah Tuhan’ Malaysia seharusnya bergerak seiring dengan negara-negara barat untuk mewujudkan garis panduan etika bioteknologi moden. Garis panduan etika memerlukan prinsip panduan. Objektif artikel ini ialah untuk membincangkan aplikasi, status, isu-isu etika bioteknologi moden dan perspektif penyelidik dan industri di Malaysia terhadap prinsip etika sekular utama iaitu autonomi, kebajikan, tidak memudaratkan dan keadilan. Penyelidikan ini dijalankan secara perbincangan kumpulan fokus (FGD) menggunakan instrumen semi berstruktur. Perbincangan yang diadakan mengambil masa sekitar 3 jam dan telah dirakam. Rakaman perbincangan telah ditranskrip secara ‘verbatim’ sebelum dianalisis. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa semua panel amat bersetuju mengenai kepentingan dan kesesuaian keempat-empat prinsip etika untuk diguna pakai sebagai prinsip bagi garis panduan etika bioteknologi moden di Malaysia. Para panel telah mencadangkan penyusunan semula empat prinsip etika kepada tiga dan telah menambahbaik terma, menghasilkan prinsip autonomi dan kepentingan awam; kebajikan dan tidak memudaratkan; dan keadilan dan bukan diskriminasi. Panel juga telah menambahbaik huraian bagi definisi setiap prinsip yang ada.

Kata kunci: Bioteknologi moden; etika; Malaysia; penyelidik; industri

Abstract

The development of modern biotechnology in Malaysia has given rise to many controversies. Currently, the National Biosafety Board (NBB) has approved 29 types of genetically engineered products for the Malaysian market. The ethical issues of modern biotechnology and its products include their long-term impact, effects on human health, environment and socio-economy and the issue of ‘playing God’. Malaysia should be in tandem with the western countries in introducing ethical guideline for modern biotechnology. Ethics guideline needs suitable guiding principles. The objectives of this article are to discuss the applications, status and ethical issues in modern biotechnology and to analyze the perspectives of researchers and industries in Malaysia toward the key secular ethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficent and justice. The study was conducted by the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) method using a semi structured instrument. The discussion took about 3 hours and was recorded. The recorded discussions were verbatim transcribed prior to analysis. The research findings showed that the panelists strongly agreed on the importance and
suitablility of the four ethical principles to be adopted as the guiding principles for a Malaysian guideline on the ethics of modern biotechnology. The penalists suggested on the reorganization of the four ethical principles into three, with some improvements in the terminologies, resulting in the principles of autonomy
and public interest; beneficence and non-maleficent; and justice and non-discrimination. Additionally, the descriptions/definitions of the principles have been improved by the panelists.

Keywords: Modern biotechnology; ethical principles; Malaysia; researchers; industry