One week has passed since the landmark apology by Free Malaysia Today to Lynas for making unscientific claims against the rare earths plant, but DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng, who had earlier been a vocal part of the anti-Lynas brigade, has been conspicuous by his silence this past week.
Yes, the Penang leader who had earlier railed against the Australian firm and portrayed himself as some kind of environmental crusader has suddenly gone underground as others are being brought to book for their false claims.
Till recently pro-Opposition websites were having a field day claiming that the Lynas plant was unsafe, in spite of the volume of scientific evidence that showed the rare earths plant is indeed safe.
Their irresponsible stance was brought down to earth with Lynas suing them for defamation. Free Malaysia Today publicly apologised before the judgement, admitting that its allegations did "not have a scientific basis".
"We refer to the articles previously published by us which claim that the Lynas plant may be unsafe. We apologise for these publications as such claims do not have a scientific basis. The regulatory review of the Lynas plant has been thorough and diligent," FMT said in a statement last Tuesday.
But Guan Eng has not come out with an apology yet, instead letting the media take the blame for the anti-Lynas hype that he helped whip up.
Here's an example of the lies and defamatory bombast that Guan Eng used in targeting Lynas:
"...the failure to consult with the public before construction begin and the desperate remedial steps taken by the Malaysian government is a pathetic attempt to cover-up serious public concerns about the safety and health issues," Guan Eng claimed in an open letter to Nick Curtis, CEO of Lynas Corp, on March 22.
This, despite the clean chits given to the Lynas plant by scientific experts, including from the respected International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Guan Eng instead tried claiming this was somehow one big conspiracy by the Malaysian Government!
It's obvious that the Opposition-supported media attack on the Lynas plant was orchestrated without any scientific basis, and aimed at carrying out a misinformation campaign against the project to scare the Malaysian public.
The Australian firm correctly stood its ground in the face of this online frenzy, and its stand has been vindicated. As FMT admitted, "the regulatory review of the Lynas plant has been thorough and diligent."
It is now time for all pro-Opposition websites to be more responsible in their reporting and stop spreading lies disguised as facts. They were, after all, convenient tools for Pakatan Rakyat to try scoring political brownie points against the Government.
As FMT's apology shows, there are limits to this misinformation campaign, and all those indulging in lies and defamation will be brought to account.
Next in line is the Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) group, the most vicious of these shadowy propaganda outfits. Lynas filed a defamation suit against SMSL for spreading lies against the plant, and the judgement in this case is expected this Thursday, July 26.
It is time now for Guan Eng to join FMT in apologising for his defamatory statements against Lynas. But there is little chance that he will, given that Guan Eng is never to be found when his own credibility is questioned.
With the Penang Chief Minister also under fire for the rampant development that has degraded the state's environment, his credentials as an environmental crusader have taken a serious beating.
No wonder Guan Eng has gone quiet. He's hoping that no will notice him, and he can quietly escape being brought to account for his defamatory campaign against Lynas.
LYC Price at posting:
79.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
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