lynas article from the choice 13 oct

It looks like some of the Malay press are starting to put a little pressure on the govt .. DYoDD I have nothing to do with the website nor the author(s). Hopefully more articles like this from other Malay media outlets .. sorry if this was posted earlier ..

http://www.thechoice.my/top-stories/62233-with-lynas-stalled-anwar-needs-to-tell-us-where-he-stands

With Lynas Stalled, Anwar Needs to Tell Us Where He Stands

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The people at Save Malaysia Stop Lynas have a fool-proof response when faced with any scientific body that doesn't agree with them. They simply dismiss the credentials of the body involved no matter how established, respected or scientifically sound that institution is.

They did it with the United Nations organ, the International Atomic Energy Agency, when it said the Lynas plant is safe more than 15 months ago. The fact that IAEA is 55 years old, is the undisputed world authority on nuclear matters and even sets the safety benchmarks which are recognised by all nations means nothing to the activists from SMSL.

And now they are questioning our own Atomic Energy Licencing Board (AELB) saying it is not fit to regulate the Lynas plant because it granted licences for the facility to go ahead.

"How then can we, the people, trust them in ensuring that the rare earth plant will be managed to a high standard?" asked SMSL spokesman Ismail Abu Bakar.

Don't try and answer that question and don't try and work out the logic on show here, because what SMSL is saying makes no sense whatsoever. Of course a body like the AELB is capable of licencing a facility like Lynas and also regulating it.

SMSL is resorting to arguments that conveniently ignore the facts. Firstly, let's leave aside AELB's reputation and look at what happened this year. When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to re-examine Lynas, its terms of reference offered no favours to AELB. That meant that when the hearings started, our domestic atomic authority had to make public submissions just like everyone else.

Furthermore, the PSC contracted international nuclear engineers to offer an inarguable independent perspective and sought input from a range of scientists not connected to any other bodies. And despite the input given to the PSC coming from the widest possible range of sources, not one shred of scientific evidence contradicted the ALEB or for that matter, the original decision of the IAEA.

So although SMSL implies that the AELB is some sort of monolithic institution that has a conflict of interest in monitoring the Lynas operation, the fact is that the AELB has never operated in isolation. It has from the start been part of a wider process.

SMSL and its friends at Pakatan Rakyat are on a high this week after their court room delaying tactics led to a further delay of the Lynas plant until November 8 at least.

"At least we have dashed Lynas' hopes of operating in October!" said SMSL spokesman Tan Bun Teet on the SMSL website Wednesday.

They are thrilled that their actions have led to the Lynas share price falling 15 percent and that the Aussie mining company might now have to raise A$40 million in emergency funds in order to keep going.

They are also unconcerned that should Lynas leave Malaysia, it will cost 300 direct jobs in Gebeng and thousands more in ancillary industries. It will end a bid to break China's monopoly on rare earths as part Lynas' 30 year commitment to Malaysia. And if Lynas goes, much of our international reputation for being pro-advanced technology industries will follow it out the door.

This is all fine with SMSL, who do not care one jot for the consequences of their actions, but is this what Pakatan Rakyat wants? Now might be the time for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to say, since his last statement on this subject was the start of the year when he unequivocally stated: "If we capture Putrajaya, we will cancel Lynas."

Is that what you still think, Anwar? And is it official Pakatan Rakyat policy? It really is time for you to state for the record. In the absence of detailed policies, it would be good to know your stand on something important ahead of GE13.