Press statement of Kuantan Mothers to Stop Lynas
Anguished Mothers take their grievances and complaint to PM
5th November, 2012
Today, a group of mothers from Kuantan took their concerns in a memorandum to the Prime Minister YAB Dato Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak. They were scheduled to meet YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz from the Prime Minister’s Office at 4.00pm at the Parliament house to hand over the memorandum and to show their anguish over the Lynas project.
Puan Rahiza Zulkifli who led the team explained, “As mothers, we are worried for our children’s future. I have a young son. I have worked hard to create a comfortable living environment for him. I want him to have a safe and secure future not for a foreign company to make money out of dumping massive amount of toxic radioactive waste in our backyard.”
The mothers were joined by several busloads of supporters and concerned fathers who gathered outside the Parliament to give them moral support and cheer them on.
The mothers was appealing to the PM to hold the Atomic Energy licensing Board (AELB) and the Minister responsible for the AELB, Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) accountable and responsible for their role in facilitating the hazardous world-scale Lynas rare earth refinery near Kuantan.
“We are disappointed by the government for failing to put rakyat first to protect their family and Kuantan’s future. We want a safe and clean development path for our family and our country. We are shocked by the AELB giving Lynas the operating licence when we have no idea where the toxic waste will be stored. I do not want my children and their children to live in this risky toxic condition.” Said Santha Govindasamy another mother from Kuantan.
In the memorandum, the mothers asserted that Malaysia will earn a poor reputation for hosting such a world-scale hazardous project and allowing a foreign company to dump millions of tonnes of toxic radioactive waste from rare earth ore imported from Australia with radioactive substances onto its beautiful shore tax free, an action which only a third world country will allow!
The mothers are extremely concerned with the impact of such a poor and ill-considered decision on their family and all future generations who will have to live with the problem forever.
“I have three young children and we pay our taxes and contribute to the economy actively. I cannot simply pretend that there is no problem when I know Lynas will bring ruins to our town. How will I explain to my children that Lynas will be poisoning our backyard forever?” asked a young Kuantan mother, Bernice Nyew.
The mothers collectively appealed to the Prime Minister - as a loyal son of Pahang, as a father and a leader of the country, to exercise his duty of care and to show strong leadership to intervene in the interests of the rakyat and for the country’s long-term sustainable development to Stop Lynas before its too late.
“As mothers, we hope for a peaceful and satisfactory resolution to this problem which has plagued our country since we have learnt of its existence from the media last year. As mothers, we vow to fight till the end for a cleaner and safer Malaysia.” Concluded Rahiza.