This is the untold tale of one political party’s actions in two states regarding two manufacturing plants and double standards.
On Feb 26, 2012, DAP had urged the federal government to form a parliamentary select committee (PSC) to probe the safety of the RM700 million Lynas Advanced Material Plant (Lamp) in Gebeng, Kuantan. The PSC was set up four months after DAP’s urging to the federal government.
The following month, Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) queried how a proposed solar panel manufacturing plant in Batu Kawan, Penang, was approved by the state government without an operating licence or approval from the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB), a compulsory prerequisite for any factory or plant producing radioactive materials as products or waste.
On March 27, 2012, InvestPenang insisted that the Bosch solar plant in Batu Kawan which had been approved by Department of Environment (DOE) was ‘radioactive free’.
Exactly a year later, on March 27,2013, InvestPenang director Lee Kah Choon announced the decision to cancel the construction of the plant to produce mono-crystalline solar cells by German conglomerate, Robert Bosch GmbH (Bosch) due to market instability globally.
A year later, on March 12, 2013, the DAP had named anti-Lynas activist Wong Tack as its candidate for the Bentong parliamentary seat in PRU13.
The following week, secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced that the DAP will abstain from participating in the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on the Lynas issue, it said today, calling the panel a “sham.” He charged that the PSC was the Najib Abdul Razak administration’s way of legitimising the controversial Lynas Corporation plant, which activists claim would be an environmental hazard.
On June 4, 2014, the DAP said granting financially troubled Lynas Corporation a full licence to keep operating its rare earth plant in Kuantan puts Malaysia at risk of having to pay to clean up any potential disasters in the event the firm goes under.
Currently, Penang has a different tale to tell. JinkoSolar Holding was launched in Batu Kawan today. The company, a global leader in the solar industry, distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in China and internationally.
Many would think that is good news for Penangites and Malaysia. I beg to differ.
Violent protests
Back in 2011, JinkoSolar Holding Co, a New York-listed Chinese solar-panel manufacturer, was told to stop work at one of its plants after violent protests by villagers alleging pollution killed fish in a nearby river.
According to Bloomberg, more than 500 villagers near Haining in eastern Zhejiang province overturned eight vehicles and damaged four police cars in protests at the factory on Sept 15 and 16. Protesters gathered for a third day on Sept 17 to demand an explanation for the death of fish last month, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
BBC reported that hundreds of villagers in eastern China held three days of protests at a solar panel plant over pollution fears. Around 500 people started gathering at Zhejiang Jinko Solar company in Haining city, Zhejiang province. Some of the protesters stormed the factory, overturning several company cars and destroying offices, officials said.
One 64-year-old villager told the Associated Press that the factory - located close to a school and kindergarten - discharges waste into the river and spews dense smoke out of a dozen chimneys.
“The villagers strongly request that this factory be moved to another area,” he said. “I am very worried about the health of the younger generation.”
Hence, for Lim Guan Eng, two standards exist.
It is NOT okay for Lynas to have its plant in Pahang and Lim Guan Eng can rant and hold press conferences to air his disapproval. However, it is perfectly fine for JinkoSolar to operate in Batu Kawan.
It is NOT okay for the plant to be in China but it is okay for Lim Guan Eng to allow the plant to operate in Batu Kawan. Can he guarantee the safety of residents in Batu Kawan?
If Bloomberg, BBC and international media already highlighted the dangers of the Zhejiang Jinko Solar Plant in 2011, what guarantee is there that safety standards exist?
This opening ceremony is NOT even announced in any official Penang government website or in the JinkoSolar official website. Why the hushed secrecy?
Even when the parliamentary select committee gave Lynas a Temporary Operating Licence in 2012, the DAP dared PSC chairperson Khaled Nordin to move next to the Kuantan plant. Now, there is no verification of safety standards. By the same standards DAP used previously, Lim Guan Eng should move next to the JinkoSolar plant to assure Batu Kawan residents that it is really safe.
This is the price Batu Kawan voters have to pay for voting for Ubah. Worth it?
HUAN CHENG GUAN is former Member of Parliament for Batu Kawan.
