The Broga/Semenyih No Incinerator pro tem action committee has countered the Housing and Local Government Ministry's statement that a caveat has been attached to the contract awarded to a Japanese consortium to build the proposed 1,500-tonne incinerator project in Broga.

Pro tem

chairperson Halil Hussain, in a written reply to malaysiakini , refuted the ministry's statement that the contract o­nly allows preliminary work to be carried out in the area earmarked.

Type of contract

In its strongly worded response, Halil said the committee did not appreciate the government "lying to the public and treating the public as ignorant".

It was referring to a press release issued through Local Government Department director-general Mohamad Saib, which said Consortium Ebara & Hartasuma Sdn Bhd had been awarded the contract.

Mohamad said the project will o­nly be implemented if the Department of Environment approves the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study, to be completed in May. Until then, the consortium is o­nly allowed to undertake preliminary work such as land surveys and soil investigations.

Halil, however, wanted to know exactly what type of contract has been awarded, since Ebara Corporation's own press release maintains that it was engaged "after o­ne year of tender evaluation process" by the ministry to "construct an incineration plant".

"We think (Mohamad Saib) gravely misjudged the ability of the Malaysian public to read Japanese text," he said.

Package deal

Halil also said Mohamad's statement was also confusing in its reference to land surveys as 'preliminary works' when these are usually presumed to be included as part of the whole project.

"Most people familiar with the tender evaluation process will tell you that surveys are part of the main construction contract," he noted.

"It is not very clever to have two tenders (one for survey and another for actual construction) as the winning bidders could be different companies, thus making the project more expensive."

He said an exception was if the 'survey' could o­nly be done by a "specialist independent consultancy".

"Interestingly, this is not the case here as Ebara is not an independent surveyor," he said.

Picking up o­n another point, Halil claimed that, o­nce a contract is awarded, there can be no turning back from implementation because the ministry would face a huge lawsuit from the contractor.

"This project appears to be going ahead in secret. Mohamad appears to be trying to cover up for his ministry by telling half-truths and continuing with the project without prior EIA approval," he alleged.

Halil accused the ministry of being more concerned with expediency than public health, explaining that residents would be the o­nes to suffer "if proper steps are not taken during the approval process".

He warned that the government would "lose public support" if no action is taken against the ministry.

Speedy campaign

Contacted today, Hartasuma Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Dr Abdul Rahman Abdul Halim said the company was waiting for the EIA report to be approved before commencing physical construction work.

"At the moment, we are not doing anything at the site. As you would know, an independent consultant has been appointed to conduct the EIA study," he said. However, he claimed he did not know the identity of the consultant, referring malaysiakini to the "ministry or those in charge of the EIA".

The Broga project has drawn severe criticism from some 80,000 residents from 25 housing estates in Semenyih, Kajang, Broga, Beranang and surrounding areas.

Last December, the pro tem committee launched a signature campaign which claims to have gathered 10,000 names. It has organised peaceful demonstrations, nature outings and talks by international scientists and activists o­n the hazards and risks of incineration technology.

The residents have sought the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia's intervention ( photo ) and met with Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo to present their case. They have been trying to get Housing and Local Government Minister o­ng Ka Ting to meet residents in Broga, but have had no success to date.

The plant, which is expected to be the world's largest using the fluidised-bed gasification and ash-melting technology, is reportedly to be funded by a RM2 billion soft loan.

Details are not available o­n the source of funds. The Japan government has denied any involvement in this aspect of the project.