The government continues to be tight-lipped over the source of funding for the construction of the multi-billion ringgit incinerator proposed in Broga - a small township near Semenyih about 40km south of Kuala Lumpur.

The project proponent - the Housing and Local Government Ministry - has consistently denied any knowledge of the financial arrangement.

Its Minister Ong Ka Ting insisted that he has no knowledge of the funding details which he said was with the Finance Ministry.

"We are not involved in the funding issues. We work based on the allocation made by the Treasury and carry out our responsibilities," he said when met in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Ong said the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) was responsible for the project, overall.

Formal requests by malaysiakini to the Treasury and the ministry almost two months ago on the project's funding details remain unanswered.

According to earlier media reports, the project was to be financed through a RM1.5 billion Japanese soft loan but the Japanese government has since officially denied any involvement.

Residents upset

The government's stoic silence has raised the ire of Broga residents and opposition parties who have been demanding for more transparency, particularly about the financier of the proposed 1,500-tonne incinerator project.

The controversial project is currently undergoing an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study by government-appointed consultant Perunding Utama Sdn Bhd and the report is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

The residents, led by Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator pro tem action committee, have also sent numerous appeals seeking an audience with the minister.

Asked if he would meet with the residents or the committee, Ong said he had already met with some of them.

"I think it would be better to wait for the EIA report before discussing the matter further as we need to have all the details first," he added.

The mega-incinerator project is part of the government's integrated municipal solid waste management plan, which entails privatisation of related services.

Bill pending

Ong said a bill on the integrated plan is pending introduction in Parliament. A solid waste management law is necessary to regulate the overall processes of collection, disposal, recycling and others.

"But the bill cannot be tabled in parliament just yet because the services have to be privatised first and this is up to the EPU to decide on the tender process and the relevant concessions.

"The EPU, Treasury, the ministry and other relevant parties are deliberating on the draft but other factors need to be balanced," he said.

Presently, the trash collection and cleaning services have been taken over from the respective local authorities by a consortia of local and international firms for the northern, central and southern regions.

The proposed Broga plant is the first of several on the drawing board, with proposals in Penang, Selangor and Johor.

The Broga committee's arguments against the incinerator, the unproven technology that has been proposed as well as the health and environmental risks involved have all fallen on deaf ears.

An estimated 80,000 people from 25 housing areas surrounding the area have also declared a loss of faith in the ongoing EIA study and claimed that it was a waste of time and taxpayers money.

The government has also begun a probe into the background of Ebara Corporation, one of Japan's biggest engineering firms, contracted to design and build the giant facility touted as the largest of its kind in the world in terms of the latest gasification technology.