‘GOVT SHOULD SET BAUXITE MINING S.O.P.’
No reason to lift moratorium if there is SOP, says NGO
THE state government and agencies must finalise the standard operating procedure (SOP) before deciding on the status of the moratorium on bauxite mining in Pahang.
Gerakan Hentikan Pencemaran Bauksit (Geram) chairman Ali Akhbar Othman said the decision by the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) to withdraw the seizure order on more than 10 million tonnes of bauxite stockpiles here had raised new fears of environmental degradation.
“Since the government’s moratorium last year, residents have enjoyed a cleaner environment with no dust or lorries transporting the mineral from Felda Bukit Goh through Jalan Pintasan Kuantan-Pelabuhan and the Gebeng area to Kuantan Port.
“As long as there are no changes and a more concrete SOP is introduced, I believe there is no need to lift the moratorium,” he said yesterday.
“If you ask residents, they do not want it (bauxite mining) to resume.”
On Dec 24, via a statement by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the federal government ordered that the moratorium be extended to June 30.
The decision came on the heels of MACC’s move to withdraw the seizure order on bauxite stockpiles in the state.
With the lifting of the seizure order, mining operators with Approved Permits (AP) are allowed to export the mineral by clearing existing stockpiles.
Ali urged the graftbusters to reveal the results of its probe into alleged corruption that facilitated fresh bauxite mining, as well as the arrests and prosecution over the issue from last year until now.
“We read about their (MACC’s) operation to detain officers and personnel from state government agencies said to be involved in graft and abuse of power. We would like to know the outcome of the operation and arrests.
“How many have been charged and how many have been convicted (in court)?
“We support curbing graft in enforcement agencies involved in the monitoring of bauxite mining.
“But, we do not know whether this is an empty promise.”
Attempts to contact state MACC director Datuk Alias Salim for updates on the probe were unsuccessful at press time.