MCA veep: Will Fuziah, Wong Tack concede to cabinet decision on Lynas?

MCA vice-president Ti Lian Ker has questioned whether Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Fuziah Salleh and Bentong MP Wong Tack will concede to the cabinet's decision to allow Lynas to continue operating locally.

"After all the media hype, including one video by Fuziah of the mutation of fishes, chickens and a three-legged goat, and the promise by Wong to burn down the Lynas plant, they are now made to look 'silly and stupid' when the prime minister simply said that the rare-earth industry can continue and be expanded by merely 'decontaminating' the raw materials.

"So what say you now, Fuziah and Wong? Are you going to hide or concede that the issues raised can simply be overcome by 'decontamination'? Is it so?" Ti asked in a statement today.

Both Fuziah and Wong have been long-time vocal critics of Lynas, an Australian rare-earth mining company.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Lynas can continue operating locally after a cabinet discussion.

This is as long as the firm adheres to the stipulation that it removes its radioactive waste from the country, or finds ways to reduce the radioactivity of raw materials before bringing them into Malaysia.

Mahathir also said that several companies which have offered to buy over the company or take over its operations have claimed to be able to "clean up" the raw materials prior to importing them into the country.

The cabinet has had to discuss the issue following contradictory statements made by Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin and Entrepreneur Development Minister Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof.

Redzuan had said that Lynas’ rare-earth processing plant in Gebeng, Kuantan, could be allowed to continue operations in the interests of attracting foreign investment.

This solicited criticism by other Harapan leaders, as the matter allegedly did not fall under Redzuan’s purview.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said both ministries have an interest in the matter and that the two ministers were merely engaging in a “healthy debate”.