by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, April 8, 1993:
The Bukit Nanas central toxic waste treatment plant will be one of the main issues to be highlighted by the DAP MPs in the 16-day Parliamentary meeting starting on April 26
The RM$200 million Bukit Nanas central toxic waste treatment plant will be one of the main issues to be highlighted by the DAP MPS in the 16-day Parliamentary meeting starting on April 26.
I have given notice to the Minister for Science, Technology and Environment, Datuk Law Hieng Ding, that I will be asking him during question time in the Dewan Rakyat to state (i) whether and when -the, Cabinet was informed of the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report by the Department of Environment (DOE) for the Bukit: Nanas central toxic waste treatment plant; (ii) the date. the Negri Sembilan State Government was informed of the EIA approval; and (iii) why his Ministry had disregarded the strong objections of the 100,000 people who are worried about the, pollution to their environ¬ment, threat to their health and damage to their, livelihood from the, siting of the toxic, waste plant in their midst in Negri Sembilan.
In fact, Hieng Ding should explain whether the Cabinet had discussed the Bukit Nanas central toxic waste treatment plant and given its ‘green light’ even before the formal approval for the EIA report was given by the DOE Director-General, and the influence of the United Enginners Malaysia (UEM) in the EIA approval in view of the strategic and political position and role of this company in the UMNO scheme of things.
The Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar, Tan Sri Haji Mohamad Isa Abdul Samad should confirm whether it is true that well before his outburst against the Director-General of the Department of Environment, Dr. Abu Bakar Jaafar, for announcing that the DOE had given approval for the EIA report for the Bukit Nanas central toxic waste treatment plant, he had already been informed by the Deputy Prime Minister, Ghafar Baba, of the EIA approval.
If this is true, then the Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar’s outburst against the DOE Director-General was only ‘play -acting’ , and not a genuine concern for the environment, livelihood, health and life of the 100,000 people in the Rasa parliamentary constituency who are worried about the adverse effects of the Bukit Nanas central toxic waste treatment plant.
Three days ago, Tan Sri Mohamed Isa attacked me for wanting t o ‘light a fire.’ on the Bukit Nanas central toxic waste treatment plant.
Tan Sri Mohamed Isa is underestimating the intelligence of the people- If there is a ‘fire’, then Bukit Nanas central toxic! waste treatment plant is the ‘fire’, and this is not lighted by the DAP but by the insensitivity of the Federal and State Government to the legitimate rights and fears of the people in Bukit Pelandok and Tanah Merah in Negri Sembilan with regard to their environment, live¬lihood, health and life.
Tan Sri Isa also accused the DAP of wanting to create more problems and not wanting to resolve the problem of the people, and alleged that the DAP had not taken part in the evaluation of the EIA report by reflecting the views of the affected residents.
It is most unfortunate that Tan Sri Isa is so misinformed, as he does not seem to know that the DAP had submitted a memorandum to the Department of Environment on the EIA of the Bukit Nanas toxic waste plant.
The DAP MP for Petaling Jaya, Dr. Kua Kia Soong, accompanied by the DAP MP for Kelang , Fong Kui Lun and the Bukit Gasing State Assemblyman Teong Shyan Chyuan handed over the memorandum to the DOE last August, which called for the decentralization of the toxic waste treatment system so as to reduce the risk to human and environment during transportation.
The DAP memorandum made it clear that EIA report had not allayed the fears of the residents on the Bukit Nanas central toxic waste treatment plant’s threat to their health and livelihood.