The PM has lost his way

SMSL is appalled by the Prime Minister’s apparent ignorance of the scientific and engineering facts related to the Lynas rare earth refinery project in Gebeng, near Kuantan.

Mr Tan Bun Teet, SMSL spokesperson say, “We noted with extreme regret that until this day the Prime Minister has either not been officially informed of all the facts that we Save MALAYSIA Stop Lynas(SMSL) has submitted through ministerial hearings and publications on our website findings by various institutions like CAP, MMA and the Bar Council or he is practicing selective denial. Is the PM following the footstep of the President of MCA - we sent the latter volumes of scientific facts and evidences on harms that a rare earth plant can cause to the environment and the people living nearby?”

We are not opposed to the economic development that foreign investments can bring to our nation. To allow Lynas Advance material Plants (LAMP) to proceed when Lynas has NOT presented a safe plan as yet on how its radioactive waste will be dealt with in the long term and it has only done a sketchy preliminary environmental impact assessment will certainly confirm that Malaysia has a third world industrial safety and environmental standard.

“For the PM to dismisse concerns of thousands of tax paying rakyat right after over 20,000 people braved themselves to say “NO” to the Lynas project at Dataran merdeka yesterday is a slap in the face of democracy and an insult to the PM’s much promoted motto of “Rakyat didahulukan!”. This Government has lost its credibility and citizens will organized to vote BN OUT.” Remarks Haji Ismail Abu Bakar

SMSL has received quality advice from different experts based on science and sound engineering practices. There are serious concerns with regard to Lynas’ management of its waste and radiation safety of its workers.

An independent assessment by the reputable and renowned Oeko Institute (http://www.oeko.de/the_institute/dok/594.php) in Germany is near completion. Preliminary findings have found Lynas not to adhere to safe international practices and that no licence should have been approved for its construction given the design fault let alone the issuing of a temporary operating licence which the Malaysian Government has so carelessly done.

A Kuantan resident Ram Ponusamy comments, “We the rakyat were made to believe that Malaysia could be a developed nation by 2020. We have seen now how our government has FAILED us in this important development goal by reducing our industrial safety and environmental standard to that of a dysfunctional third world country. We are ashamed of this government and we have only one choice – that is to VOTE IT OUT!!”

“Has the PM done the proper thing by getting an independent engineering audit following the New York Times revelation that there were serious structural problems with the plant? Why wasn’t a detailed EIA been ordered by the government in light of the LAMP being the world’s largest rare earth plant outside of China and there has not been any best practice rare earth plant available to date? Where is the government’s duty of care to its own tax payers and rakyat??” asks Mr Tan.

SMSL vowed to continue to campaign to oppose the plant and to VOTE OUT a government that is deaf and blind to the wishes of its people!

“Enough said and we will continue to fight this plant till the end to safeguard our basic rights to live in a hazard-free environment for our family and the future generations. The government can ignore the rakyat’s wish at its own perils!” Warns Mr Tan, Haji Ismail and Ram on behalf of SMSL

The number of men, women, and children supporting the cross-country 300km (Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur) Green Walk had swollen tremendously on the 13th day, with estimates putting the crowd at more than 20,000 on Nov 25, joined in with the core group of roughly 70 led by Himpunan Hijau chairperson Wong Tack.