KUALA LUMPUR: The green light given by Parliament to issue Lynas with a temporary operating licence has disappointed the Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) group, which has been trying to engage constructively with the government based on facts and science. This follows from the tabling of the findings by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on June 19. SMSL said despite its legal team and independent experts' presentations of hard facts and the latest scientific and engineering information through the ministerial appeal process and the PSC, the effort got "nowhere". In a statement June 21 SMSL spokesperson Tan Bun Teet lamented that: "We had given the government the benefit of doubt hoping that the Government will act in the interest of the people". "Our experts are some of the most outstanding and qualified professionals from the top universities in the United States of America, United Kingdom and Australia.
They have volunteered their expert opinions purely from their professional ethics (perspective) and their concern of the impact of the Lynas rare earth project," he said. "We now know that this government has yet again failed in its duty of care to protect citizens and the country from a mere foreign profit-seeking interest," he said. "We share the anguish, the worries and the anger of Kuantan residents over the Government's decision for we are affected locals ourselves. The battle to Stop Lynas is far from over. The way is now clear for a different approach to stop this risky project," he said. He said SMSL is currently preparing for a series of actions in response to the government's poor decision on the Lynas rare earth refinery project including putting together a strong case for a judicial review through the court to appeal against the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation's (MOSTI) decision in the coming week. He said a national day of actions to stop Lynas is also scheduled for July 14.
-ES
Resource: Harakah, Page: 14
Date: Monday, 25 June 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment