By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, 28th September 1994:
If Peter Chin cannot even arrange for my visit to Bakun dam site, it shows that the Deputy Environment Minister has no ‘clout’ and no ‘mover’ and ‘shaker’ like Ting Pek Khing who could get Mahathir to officiate at two Bakun dam functions in nine months
Deputy Minister for Science, Technology and Environment, Peter Chin, said he has no ‘duty’ to arrange for my visit to Bakun dam site.
The question is not whether Peter Chin has any ‘duty’ to arrange for my visit to Bakun dam site as Deputy Minister in charge of environment in the country.
The issue is if the Deputy Environment Minister Could not even arrange for my visit to Bakun dam site, after publicly challenging me to make such a visit and after I had accepted the challenge, it shows that he has no ‘clout’ or power on environmental issues, and will not be able to get Ting Pek Khing, the CEO of EKRAN Bhd., to comply with the EIA requirements.
Ting Pek Khing had no problem whatsoever to arrange for the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, to make two special trips to Sarawak, the first time at the end of January to witness the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between EKRAN and the Sarawak State Government on the Bakun dam project; and the second time ten days ago, to officiate at the earth-breaking ceremony of the Bakun dam project – twice in nine months!
If Peter Chin cannot even arrange for a visit to Bakun dam site by the Parliamentary Opposition Leader, after he himself had issued the challenge, with full briefings by the Department of environment (DOE), EKRAN Bhd and representatives of the 7,000 natives whose entire lifestyles are threatened with destruction, it shows that the Deputy Minister for Environment is no ‘mover’ or ‘shaker’ like Ting Pek Khing.
From Ting Pek Khing’s open defiance of EIA requirements, starting on his RM50 million ‘preparatory work’ for the Bakun dam project even before EIA had been done, it is clear that Pek Khing feels that he is above the laws passed by Parliament to protect the environment in the country.
Is this why Peter Chin decided that it is better to defend and justify Ting Pek Khing’s violation of the EIA requirement in starting the RM50 million preparatory work, instead of having to ‘fight’ Pek Khing to uphold the environmental laws in the country?