| Lynas' Plant: Between Facts, Politics And Emotion |
By Mohd Shukri Ishak
KUANTAN, April 22 (Bernama) -- "If it is safe, why it is not being built in Australia?"
This is the most frequently asked question concerning the ongoing construction of Lynas Malaysian Sdn Bhd's rare earth oxides plant in Gebeng, Pahang.
Many claim that the project, owned by an Australian company, Lynas Corp Ltd, will produce 20,000 tonnes of radioactive waste annually when fully operational.
The amount is said to be 10 times higher than the Asian rare earth oxides plant in Bukit Merah, which was closed 20 years ago.
Although the Pahang government has repeatedly explained that the project is safe, many are still dissatisfied, especially with opposition parties constantly harping on the issue.
However, the decision made by the government today to set up an independent body to conduct a study on health and safety issues at the plant is hoped to put the minds of the people in Kuantan and those who are politicising the issue at ease.
International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the study was expected to be completed within a month.
Throughout the study and while waiting for the green light from the government, no pre-operation licence will be issued to Lynas, he said.
Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob when explaining the issue in the State Assembly sitting recently, said the state government did not have the power to approve the construction of the plant.
He said the project was approved by the International Trade and Industry Ministry after they were satisfied with the detailed study carried out by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) on the level of radiation emitting from the factory.
"I wonder why certain parties are staging protests and condemning the state government. We are not the ones who approved the project, so, what is the fuss in telling us to close it (factory)," said Adnan.
Prior to this, Kuantan Member of Parliament from Parti Keadilan Rakyat Fuziah Salleh urged the menteri besar to seek the advice and opinions from an independent body on the impact of the project.
"The menteri besar should seek advice from an independent body on the impact of the construction of the plant to public safety, health, social, economy and the environment for the people in Kuantan," she said.
Kuantan MCA chairman Datuk Ti Lian Ker when contacted, said the opposition had purposely turned the project into a political issue and used "emotion and anger" to attract the public's attention.
"Opposition leader in the State Assembly, Leong Ngah Ngah from DAP, when attending the briefings on the project for elected representatives in 2009, had also agreed to the construction of the project, and was reported by a Chinese daily as saying that the state government had managed to secure a huge investment from abroad," he said.
Ti also said several briefing sessions conducted to explain the issue had also turned into a political battlefields.
"The people in Kuantan were deluged with information that made people emotional and angry. Is this the opposition's political agenda? They seem to be smarter that the atomic energy experts and the AELB," he added.
-- BERNAMA |
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