KUANTAN August 17 - The Crown Prince's PKR branch is overwhelmed and disappointed by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government's actions that they say repeated the mistake of the previous government when it approved the extension of a six-month license for the Lynas Corporation Ltd. plant. (Lynas) in the Gebeng here continues its operations.
In a joint statement with the branch's PKR leadership led by its chairman, Lee Chean Chung, they felt the government should use the best chance of showing commitment to fulfill its promise in its environmental-protection manifesto by failing to extend the license to operate the rare earth processing plant next month.
"Unfortunately, the government is also attracted to their pro-Lynas propaganda, ignoring the wishes of the people around Kuantan who have rejected Lynas by electing PH in two Parliamentary constituencies namely Kuantan and Crown Prince.
"Lynas is an issue we often address not as political capital but as fact-based responsibility," the statement said today.
According to the statement, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself acknowledged that Lynas would produce toxic substances that are harmful to the environment despite declaring them in small quantities.
This means, he said, that the government is aware of the risks involved in the activities at the plant but seems to be looking at something else without taking its risks seriously.
"One million metric tons are expected to be generated from the remains of the Lynas plant, not a small additional one so we do not know exactly where these remains will be stored.
"Does the government want the people of Kuantan and the Crown Sense to sacrifice their environmental and health well-being as long as the government can attract investment ?," he asked.
The statement added that for eight years PKR The Crown Prince has been working consistently to keep the city of Kuantan and its surroundings clean from any risk-taking projects that other countries do not even consider to take risks from rare earth plants such as Lynas.
He said that although the government made a very disappointing decision, they were convinced there was still room to return to the truth.
"Lynas expires next month, so we urge the government to reconsider the painful decision and urge the state government not to allow the new site to be opened for storage.
"The buffalo is on the ropes, the people are on the promise," it said. - ONLINE message
https://www.utusan.com.my/berita/nasional/tunaikan-janji-tutup-kilang-lynas-pkr-indera-mahkota-1.955727
