Broga residents are puzzled over the mystery surrounding the funding of the proposed multi-billion ringgit mega-incinerator proposed slated for operation in 2007.

Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator pro tem committee chairperson Halil Hussain, when contacted today, said they were also wondering about the financing aspect of the project, "although that was not our priority initially".

However, he did note the absence of any mention of the project's estimated cost in the draft terms of reference being prepared for the detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA).

"The DEIA should include all monetary calculations related to the project in order to determine a further breakdown for ratepayers," he said, adding that other committee members were also perplexed over the omission.

Not quite right

"An estimated figure can help us calculate the financial implications, such as quit rent that may be imposed o­n us eventually. That is why it is important for us to know the cost and source of financing for the proposed incinerator."

Asked what he thinks about the Japan embassy's denial and the Malaysian government's insistence o­n a soft loan, Halil (photo) said: "Something doesn't sound quite right here."

The committee requested for the funding details to be included in the DEIA in an eight-page comment submitted to the Department of Environment last Saturday as part of the public feedback process.

The proposed plant, declared by Japan's Ebara Corp as the world's largest incinerator to use its latest zero emission gasification technology.

Ebara won the contract to build the 1,500-tonne thermal incinerator, the first of several proposed nationwide to handle an average of 17,000 tonnes of municipal solid wastes generated daily.

Over the last two months, malaysiakini has been unsuccessful in obtaining funding details from various government and private agencies despite verbal requests.

Written requests sent to Treasury secretary-general Dr Samsudin Hitam, Housing and Local Government Minister o­ng Ka Ting, his deputy M Kayveas and other top officials have so far been ignored.

In April, Kayveas had declared that the estimated RM1.5 billion project was financed by a Japanese soft loan - a special bilateral arrangement which usually involves technology exchange.

Never involved

At the same time, a check with the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) o­nly served to confirm the embassy's statement.

JBIC is the Japan government's funding agency for domestic and international economic and development activities.

Akiko Ueno, from the press and external affairs division of JBIC's headquarters in Tokyo, said the bank was never involved in financing the incinerator project both in Puchong or in Broga.

"According to the departments in charge of the South East region, the project in Puchong is NOT the o­ne JBIC has financed. The project in Broga is NOT, either," she told malaysiakini.

Following a tip-off, malaysiakini also contacted the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation office in Kuala Lumpur, which subsequently denied any involvement in the controversial project.

The project has drawn flak from the committee, which claims to represent 400,000 residents in and around Broga, Semenyih, Beranang and Kajang, opposed to incineration being promoted as an alternative to waste management in the country.