WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ANWAR & HARAPAN - LOOK AT LYNAS U-TURN, WHEN DID THEY BECOME LIKE JEKYLL & HYDE - OR WAS IT ALWAYS THERE AND THEY WERE ONLY GOOD AT PRETENDING TO BE GOOD?

Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!

KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - All it took was a mere 4 days for minister Chang Lih Kang, who hails from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's PKR party, to declare the renewal of Lynas Malaysia's operating licence, says the MCA.

"Aggravating matters, Minister Chang even denied that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition had not fulfilled its promise. Isn’t the licence extension a breach of campaign promises? Is this how PH repays the voters’ mandate to PH?" MCA Youth Pahang Chairperson Wong Siew Mun asked in a statement to the media.

PH, which consists of the PKR, DAP and Amanah parties, is the main coalition in Anwar's ruling alliance that also includes Umno-BN, GPS and GRS.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ANWAR & PH - THEY'RE LIKE JEKYLL & HYDE NOW

It is telling that the MCA, a former rival turned ally in Anwar's unity government, has spoken up amid the deafening silence from other political parties in the ruling coalition that used to fight vociferously for the Lynas rare-earth plant to be shut down, including the DAP and PKR itself.

Indeed, extending the Lynas lease is another broken promise by the Anwar regime. And it is not just the MCA who is counting but a growing majority of civil society, NGOs and ordinary supporters who voted for him and the parties he leads who have been baffled by team Anwar's Jekyll and Hyde change in persona.

From reformists professing dedication to democratic change for the better, creating better lifestyles, living standards and education opportunities for all Malaysians regardless of race and religion, team Anwar has tumbled from the false perch it projected for itself.

Instead, the Anwar regime has displayed feet of clay as it backpedaled on promise after promise, failing to perform to the great expectations it fed and sold to a people, desperate to get rid of a mammoth, 6 decades-old and corruption-riddled hegemony led by the Umno-BN, which ironically is now Anwar's key ally and which the MCA is a part of.

"Despite the announcement by Lynas on 20 October 2023 that it would cease its operations in Malaysia, it took a mere 4 days for Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Chang Lih Kang to declare the renewal of Lynas Malaysia’s operating licence," said the MCA.

HUGE LETDOWN

Citing health and safety of the local community in Pahang state, PH leaders had for years promised to shut down the Australian-owned Lynas Advanced Materials Plant if it came to federal power. 

It launched many popular demonstrations and protests, spearheaded by PKR leaders such as Fuziah Salleh, now the deputy domestic trade minister, and activists like Wong Tack who later joined and then left DAP.

Yet when PH unexpectedly came to power for the first time from 2018 to 2020, the PH-helmed federal government had allowed Lynas’ operating licence to continue.

"Today, barely a few years later, PH is once again in office and the government has against renewed the Australian rare earth producer’s operating licence – a huge letdown indeed," said MCA.

Not only has the business licence of Lynas been extended, Anwar's government even relaxed its conditions, allowing Lynas to conduct the cracking and leaching process which will produce radioactive waste in Malaysia.

The government even allows the continued storage of radioactive wastes in Malaysia. All these permissions are even more regrettable, adds the MCA.

"Has the federal government ignored the health of the rakyat (citizenry) and even “mudah lupa” (easily forgets) its pledges for expedient interests?" asked the MCA.

TREATING THE PEOPLE LIKE DESPERATE FOOLS WHO HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO VOTE FOR ANWAR & DAP?

At a press conference, Minister Chang had said that one of the conditions for the renewal of the licence is that Lynas ensures the radioactive content in water leach purification (WLP) residue is below 1 becquerel (Bq) per gramme. 

But he did not offer further details as to what mechanisms will be deployed to ensure that Lynas will really meet and comply with this standard to ensure the safety and health of residents in the vicinity.

According to the MCA, the minister also failed to explain how his ministry intends to guarantee that the radioactive wastes will be "properly handled" or even meet the standards in the future. 

"Will relevant reports be submitted to Parliament every year or at 6-months intervals?" asked MCA's Wong. 

"The relevant government authorities need to show sincerity in solving this predicament and furnish the rakyat with reasonable details. At the same time, they must also explain or even admit that Pakatan Harapan has dishonored its pledges and apologize to all citizens."

Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!

Politics Now!