Residents of Semenyih are outraged over accusations that outsiders, namely opposition politicians, are involved in their campaign against the proposed RM1.5 billion mega-incinerator project in the township of Broga.

No-Incinerator Semenyih/Broga pro tem committee chairperson Halil Hussain today denied that residents were politicising the issue or getting the opposition involved.

"As residents here, we can vouch that the strategies and steps to oppose this project was done purely by us.

"We arranged meetings, printed flyers and invited the media by using our very own contacts," he said in a strongly-worded statement to malaysiakini .

"We find it very insulting (for our elected representatives) to think that we are incapable of engineering such a campaign," he added.

Halil said those opposition members present during the residents gathering last month were there on their own and not upon invitation.

"We were never political and continue to be so at this time," he added.

At the Dec 29 gathering, some 2,000 people reportedly held a peaceful demonstration at Taman Tasik Semenyih touted as the nearest residential area to the proposed site to register their protest.

'Arrogant' remarks

Last Friday, Beranang state assemblyperson Ahmad Kuris Md Noor accused DAP and PAS members of inciting residents to oppose the project.

The Umno politician was confident that "only a few locals are truly opposed to the idea".

Ahmad Kuris said this when was asked to comment on the submission of a memorandum by the residents committee to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), which promised to arrange for a dialogue between the authorities and the residents.

A few months ago, the cabinet was forced to choose between losing political base or the project following mounting public pressure in and around Kampung Bohol in Puchong, Selangor the original site of the project and decided to relocate it to Broga.

Now, the Selangor government is facing a long-drawn battle with Semenyih/Broga residents over the relocation of the thermal incinerator project which is financed by a RM2 billion soft loan from the Japanese government.

Criticising Ahmad Kuris for his 'arrogant' remarks, Halil maintained that the people's struggle was non-political as it concerned their health, environment and well-being.

"Secondly, (no one) has the right to tell the residents to include or exclude the opposition because in the future, if we see fit, then it's our right to call in whoever we please be they lawyers, non-governmental organisations or the opposition to help us."

Halil also debunked Ahmad Kuris' statement about the incinerator project creating jobs and business opportunities.

"To the best of my knowledge, a modern incinerator only employs a handful of men and women as the processes are mostly automated. Even then, the employees are usually engineers, programmers and technicians," he said.

"Further, the proposed project will definitely stunt the growth of this already backward area," he added.

Credibility questioned

Halil also questioned the credibility of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study with regards to Ahmad Kuris' statement that the federal government relocated the project from Puchong to Semenyih due to the unsuitability of the former location.

"If that was the case, why did the (previous) EIA report state that the (Puchong) site was alright in the first place?

"Are EIA reports supposed to mislead? All this double-talk is not encouraging from our elected representatives," he said.

The residents committee maintained that the crux of the problem was the long-term effects of the incinerator on its surroundings and the possible contamination of ground water being supplied to hundreds of thousands of households in Selangor.

"No other country in the world has ever sited an incinerator of any size, let alone the biggest in the world, in a water catchment area. But of course, Malaysia Boleh!" Halil said.

He added that the committee was prepared to dialogue with the authorities to get the facts cleared on the proposed project, including "the vague and unsubstantiated assurances by Ahmad Kuris".