Bauxite miners demand clear answer from Govt
KUANTAN: Those involved in the Felda Bukit Goh bauxite mining scene are demanding the Government give a clear answer – once and for all – on whether they can continue the activity.
Settler Muhammad Salleh, 72, said they had been in limbo ever since the moratorium was enforced in January 2016.
“About two hectares of my land have been cleared for mining but now it’s just left abandoned for the past two years.
“Bauxite is a windfall for us settlers. Don’t leave us in the lurch,” he said when met in Felda Bukit Goh here yesterday.
It was reported that Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar said the moratorium on bauxite mining in Kuantan, that was to have ended on June 30, had been extended indefinitely.
Secondgeneration settler Rosli Arshad, 46, hoped the new government would engage with the land owners directly and come to a decision rather than putting them in a state of uncertainty.
“We want the Government to give us a definite answer – continue mining or shut down. We have been unable to move on for the past two years. We are not sure whether to replant oil palm trees on our land or wait for mining to restart because of the moratorium,” Rosli said.
Bauxite miner Muzaimey Che Mud, 34, said if the authorities put down a set of standard operating procedure (SOP), mining operators would be willing to follow it.
“Put in place rules and regulations and we are more than willing to abide,” he said.
Muzaimey said he had an agreement with the settlers to fill in the dugup earth on their land once the bauxite had been mined but the uncertainty of the moratorium would not allow him to proceed.
A bauxite purchaser, who wanted to be known only as Chan, said it was unfair that the moratorium was put in place specifically only for bauxite in Pahang.
“More than anything, foreign buyers will lose confidence in Malaysia,” he said.