malaysia local news about shipment

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http://www.mmail.com.my/story/stop-fooling-rakyat-29570

ARE politicians and regulatory bodies in Malaysia fighting to win of “The stupidest statement ever” contest? If so, then first prize must go to the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB).

In issuing a temporary operating licence (TOL), its director-general Datuk Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan said the agency had relied on Australian rare earths miner Lynas’ unilateral commitment to ship out radioactive waste from the Gebeng operations without putting this in “black and white”.

So it’s not mandatory for Lynas to ship out the waste material because, according to Raja Abdul Aziz, “it was never a condition of the licence”. But he is sure the waste will be dumped elsewhere and if Lynas fails to do so, “there are various steps and considerations that the (AELB) can take”.

Is this guy kidding? Or worse, does he think the rakyat can be easily fooled?

What is the basis of legal action when a black and white agreement does not exist? How will AELB penalise Lynas when it has given the company a blank cheque to act as it pleases?

Why doesn’t the AELB boss spell out the actions that can be taken? And how binding are these actions, if at all they are taken?

And now, after much uproar, AELB said it will enforce the removal of radioactive waste from Malaysia. Again we are unsure if this is merely a reaction to the public outcry or if the board is really serious.

But its sneaky deals with Lynas, the eagerness to see its operations start and lack of a proper contract in terms of waste management, as well as seemingly pandering to Lynas’ whims and fancies, do not instill any confidence.

We have seen tens of thousands of people protesting against Lynas, fearing for the safety of their children and future generations. And yet the AELB has made a flimsy deal with Lynas, carelessly dismissing the lives of Malaysians.

Australia has clearly said it will not accept any waste material from Lynas. So Raja Abdul Aziz, which country do you think would happily accept millions of tonnes of radioactive waste from the Gebeng plant?

The Malaysian government and AELB do not seem to have learnt from tragedies. Severe birth defects and eight leukemia cases in five years in a community of 11,000 people are the consequences of allowing the operations of the Asian Rare Earth factory in Bukit Merah, Perak.

And the clean-up costs of the factory and dump site is US$100 million (RM310 million), estimated to be the largest in the rare earths industry.

But 30 years on, the government is once again game to play with the lives of people.

Even as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak repeats his “People First”, tens of thousands of Malaysians are holding protests in different parts of the country just to stay healthy and alive.

In Johor, residents are fighting against the US$19.2 billion (RM59.52 billion) Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development project, fearing the loss of livelihood and effects on the environment. They are also opposing the state’s move to relocate 19 cemeteries to make way for the development.

It is simple logic — a government which is committed to the rights and welfare of its people would not act in this manner. They would not bargain with the lives of the people.

I leave it to the rakyat to judge for themselves.


The writer, Charles Santiago, is the DAP MP for Klang