Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's remarks when opening the 54 th Umno annual general assembly yesterday could be construed as a 'green light' for the controversial multi-billion ringgit incinerator project in Selangor.

Residents affected by the proposed 1,500-tonne plant in Broga - about 40 minutes south of Kuala Lumpur - believe the project will now be 'approved' without due consideration of the public's health and environmental concerns.

Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator pro tem committee chairperson Halil Hussain said today the prime minister's remarks could end any possibility of convincing the government to reconsider its decision.

"We are concerned that further studies may be compromised as the Malaysian culture is such that when a leader says it's okay, the project will be bulldozed through without further regard to procedures, regulations and the rakyat 's opinion," he said.

Referring specifically to the anti-incinerator campaigns in his opening speech, Mahathir accused Malaysians of being contemptuous and insolent when it comes to accepting policies designed for the good of the country.

"We cannot behave like people who are already rich when we are still a developing country," he said.

Mahathir directed his stinging remark at local anti-incinerator campaigners opposed to RM1.5 billion plant - the world's largest and first of its kind to use Japan's latest zero emission gasification technology.

The controversial project has drawn flak from local and international anti-incinerator lobby groups who oppose it on grounds that it is not economically and environmentally feasible.

Unfair comparison

In his speech, he also chided Malaysians for demanding better infrastructure without wanting to bear the higher costs.

"We have become so arrogant that the acceptable level of pollution of people who are 10 times richer than us is not good enough for us."

Halil said many governments in developed countries have in fact closed down existing incinerators and stopped building new ones due to research findings of unseen toxic pollution and environmental damage.

"We cannot compare our country to the Japanese. They have no choice but to build incinerators as they have a limited supply of land.

"Other governments in the US and Europe have now turned to cheaper and better methods of waste management such as landfills that can accommodate 10 times more waste, and also recycling," he added.

Halil said Malaysians may be 10 times poorer than the Japanese, but "we have the ability to foresee events which are 10 times ahead of the ministry's yes-men".

"We hope that the prime minister will also be proud of us for opposing this project to avert a future major water supply crisis or an environmental disaster."

Incompetence reflected

He also noted that such remarks made by Mahathir at a political party gathering clearly reflects the incompetence of the project implementor, the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

"The PM relies heavily on the input of his advisors. Our opinion is that he has not been briefed fully by his advisors.

"We believe the ministry officials are slowly realising that their project is in danger of being derailed and require his (Mahathir's) assistance."

Halil also confirmed widespread concerns over opposition backing for the anti-incinerator lobby in Semenyih.

"Not only is this project politically unpopular and extremely expensive, the incinerator itself will present a severe environment impact which is irreversible.

"No other government in the world has ever built a chemical-inducing facility of this size in such a sensitive area," he said, stressing that the committee was neither anti-establishment nor anti-development.

He said Mahathir's backing would provide government officials the usual escape route where the leadership assumes the blame for any major catastrophe.

Prior to Broga, the mega-incinerator was proposed in Kampung Bohol, Puchong, where intense public protest resulted in its relocation .

Times changed

When contacted, Puchong residents pro tem committe legal advisor S Selva said times have changed and the thinking of Malaysians have followed suit.

"People are not anti-government. Our intelligence level has changed, thanks to the Internet culture introduced by the prime minister himself.

"But this does not mean we cannot object to certain projects, and blindly follow other countries in implementing projects."

Selva said at the end of the day, it all boiled down to transparency and public accountability.

"The public need to be informed of what's going on around them, otherwise when things get pushed onto them, they will react in the only manner known to them."

He disagreed that an increase in per capita income should be the criteria to gauge quality of life because we must also consider inflation.

"What is a better quality of life if we do not have good roads and proper drinking water? The recent flooding in Kuala Lumpur is enough evidence of bad policies.

"And it doesn't mean we cannot demand for our rights. We pay our taxes and the money goes into such projects," he added.

Baseless claims

Meanwhile, DAP national publicity secretary Ronnie Liu said the prime minister's claims about the safety of incinerators were "baseless and very disappointing".

He said if Mahathir had read the submissions by the project opponents, he would understand their reasons.

"It is because no incinerators are safe and clean - not because they are stubborn, unreasonable or anti-government."

The Broga pro tem committee, which has exhausted almost all avenues to date, has also alleged that the government is manipulating information to its own advantage.

The only other time Mahathir had criticised anti-incinerator campaigners was at a press conference after recording his New Year's message last year.

Irked by the on-going protests, he had suggested that rubbish be left at people's doorsteps if they continue opposing the incinerator because "we have no place for garbage disposal".