FUZIAH LEAVES LYNAS COMMITTEE
Easier for me to comment and fight from the outside, says Kuantan MP
KUANTAN Member of Parliament Fuziah Salleh has relinquished her post as chairman of the Lynas Corporation Ltd (Lynas) evaluation committee, set up to review the rare-earth plant’s operations.
Fuziah, who is deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said she had taken serious consideration before informing the cabinet about her decision on Tuesday.
“I do not want Lynas to use me to divert attention from the issue (radioactive waste)... If I remain in the committee, I will not be able to provide comments to the media and the public.
“When I am no longer chairman, it will be easier for me to make comments and fight from the outside. If I am inside (part of committee), I can’t talk as they will question me,” she said at the Asnaf (underprivileged) Entrepreneur Carnival here yesterday.
Bentong MP Wong Tack is part of the committee, which was established last month.
When asked about her replacement, Fuziah said she would leave it to Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin to make an announcement soon.
On the peaceful rally by some 1,000 Lynas Malaysia staff and their families at Balok here last Saturday, Fuziah said the management spoke about the plight of their workers but did not discuss in depth about the fate of the 600,000 residents living in the state capital.
She said the management from Australia informed only that the radioactivity from the Lynas operation was low but did not discuss radioactive waste emissions.
“We are speaking about radioactive waste and not low radioactivity... the waste should not be left in Gebeng Industrial Park.
“I challenge them (Lynas). If they claim that it (radioactive waste) is safe, then send it to Australia.”