Raub is my home town and I was born and bred there. During the early 70s as an army officer (Captain) I was involved in many jungle operations against the communist terrorists in and around Raub and Bukit Koman where we eliminated several of them.
This gives me some right to comment when the lives of those I helped protect then are now being threatened by Raub Australian Gold Mining Co (RAGM) by the use of cyanide in its operations and for not complying with the international mining standards.
I find it utterly shame full that the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Joseph Kurup should choose to switched his schedule at the last minute, skipping an arranged town hall meeting with disgruntled villagers, and instead head for the gold mine's office, and promptly declare the operations safe and hazard free.
If he is on the pay role of the operators of the gold mine we could all accept that but he forgets that he is the Rakyat's servant who pay every cent of his wages.
The man did not even have the decency to stop and have a word with the effected villages who invited him to listen to their woes. I find that utterly disgraceful and unbecoming to say the least.
He further rubbed salt in the wound by saying: "I was at the site, I don't see a problem."
My dear minister you don't see a problem because the problem cannot be seen in the air-conditioned office of the (RAGM) sipping teh tarik).
Go out for a walk about (Turun padang), talk to the effected residents, listen to their grievances and only then will you see the real problem.
The coup de grace was when you said: "Should there be any untoward incident, the government will act according to the existing laws. "
Perhaps to drive your point home better you should have said the government would unleash the (ISA) on them. With Ministers like you representing the government the opposition will not need to work overtime to make further in roads.
I wonder what (KPI) your headmaster Koh Tsu Koon will be preparing for you. From me Minister, you rate big fat 'Zero'
