The only alternative left to close down the Lynas plant is to replace BN

The Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) announcement of a temporary operating licence (TOL) by Lynas (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, effective for a two-year period from Sept 3 this year, shows that the only alternative left to close down the Lynas plant is to replace BN. The AELB's assurances that Lynas had made a commitment to remove from Malaysia the Water Leach Purification residue arising from the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp) project, is an empty meaningless one when Lynas has refused to state where or which country the residue would be going to.

Further such removal of toxic or radioactive residue contravenes international covenants of its removal from one country to another, such as the Basel Convention, unless it is returned to its source. Returning to its source is impossible when Australia has declared that it would not accept back the rare earth residue mined from Western Australia. Where then would Lynas to find a country willing to accept millions of tonnes of its waste unless of course it is the the backyard of the homes of BN Ministers?

Clearly DAP took the correct decision in asking PR to boycott the Parliamentary Select Committee set up by BN in March 20 this year on Lynas as it would merely whitewash and reinforce the claim by the BN government that a TOL should be issued as all safety concerns and standards has been satisfied with. MCA and Gerakan has once again shown they are mere puppets and lackeys of UMNO by only parroting blindly what UMNO said.

By failing to listen to the concerns of the people, BN highlights the contrasting environmental approaches between PR that wants the Lynas closed down. BN has still not explained why Lynas enjoys a 12-year tax holiday for building a plant that threatens our health when Lynas should be paying a penalty tax instead?

That the BN Government has no hesitation to issue the TOL to Lynas even before the general elections showing its committment towards Lynas and profits over the people’s health. Clearly should BN win, Lynas would operate fully without any restrictions followed by the building of 2 nuclear reactors in BN-controlled states. The 2 year Temporary Operating License(TOL) to Lynas Rare Earth Plant leaves Malaysians no choice but to choose health and public safety over profits and 2 nuclear reactors by replacing the BN with a PR government.