After Bukit Merah, can we trust Lynas?

comments     Published     Updated

vox populi small thumbnail 'Until today the BN federal and state governments have not expressed even a single word of ‘sorry' to make amends for Bukit Merah.'

Bukit Merah survivor: Our tears have run dry

Monochrome: It is indeed very sad to see how the people have suffered. Without any questions, the government and Mitsubishi should have compensated the victims. Even so, it may not be enough for the pains that they endure for the rest of their life. We must stop the new rare earth plant.

Kgen: History will repeat itself. The level of radiation per unit mass may be low but the total radiation will be high because of the huge volume that will be stored at the rare earth plant. Don't expect stringent safety procedures to be maintained.

Myop101: If this government really cares about the rakyat, they should just ban the rare earth plant in Lynas and call off the plan for nuclear power plants. We don't want another Bukit Merah incident to remind us how destructive man can be when they let greed run wild.

Werewolves: In Malaysia, people have to die first, before the authorities will take any action. Nobody dies, no action.

Kit P: I remember Mahathir used the Internal Security Act to detain the Bukit Merah protestors. Until today the BN federal and state governments have not expressed even a single word of ‘sorry' to make amends for their actions in Bukit Merah, which was born out of greed. How can we trust them over the Lynas issue?

'Umno never labelled Indians pariah'

Malaysian-born: I wish everyone would just stop using this word. When I was growing up, it was one of the words that if you had any class at all you shouldn't use. It was also one of those words that would get anyone using it into an immediate punch-up. It was unacceptable then and it should be even more so now.

Unfortunately standards of behaviour and decency have slipped along with the understanding that expecting others to be sensitive to your feelings is a two-way street.

Today I have to explain to children what sodomy is and why it is in our papers all the time. How can I explain that while in my household it is unthinkable to use this heinous cast-based word, that it seems to be okay for it to be in a school textbook?

The terms "berbudi bahasa" and "bersopan santun" are now just words with no meaning. That's the example being set.

Cannon: Umno never labelled the Indians pariah . Umno never called the Chinese pendatang . Umno only treated them so. It will not only deny, but it will also turn around and accuse the non-Malays of threatening the race and religion of the Malays.

Tuah PJ: I was 42 years old when I heard the word 'liwat'. Since then, Umno has taught me other words such as Umnoputra, incest and many other things that I never knew existed in our society.

The word pariah and keling were not used in my younger days. But now, my daughter at a government matriculation college overheard her colleagues referring to the Indian students are ‘pelajar keling'.

Yes. The words used by a person, including our national laureate and Umnoputras, do say a lot about their upbringing..

Ketuanan Rakyat: As long as MIC cannot get Umnoputras to withdraw the book 'Interlok' from being used as a textbook in the national schools, Umnoputras are effectively treating Indian Malaysians as 'pariahs'. MIC cannot escape from being responsible for it. It is time for all Malaysians to say no to ‘ketuanan Umnoputras' and yes to ‘ketuanan rakyat'.

Docs: It was Umno that allowed a book called ‘Interlok' to be introduced as an approved literature material for secondary schools. It was Umno that allowed ‘Interlok' to label Indians as pariahs in that book. It was Umno that allowed ‘Interlok' to play down the Indian and Chinese positive influence in Malaysian history.

So Sungai Dua assemblyperson Jasmin Mohammed, yes, Umno have not called Indians ‘pariahs' but they allowed ‘Interlok' to be circulated as a standard history textbook labelling Indians as pariahs.

My question: why Umno's sudden concern about the Indian community? Does this have anything to do with voting dynamics that have shown that the Chinese have deserted BN? The Malay votes are split, PAS is not joining Umno and the fixed deposit of Sarawak may not be so secured.

All of a sudden the Indians, who were slapped, abused, treated as a bunch of clowns and labelled as insignificant (pariahs), are now looking mighty important to Umno?

Osama unarmed when shot dead, says US

Louis: Were the occupants of Twin Tower in New York armed when the planes crashed into them? And worst still, those victims were innocent and death was never on their minds on that fateful day.

As such, why must the US be apologetic if Osama bin Ladin was not armed? Moreover, as a man who lived by the sword, he would expect to meet a violent end and to him death could come at any time.

Adha: Yes, the ‘terrorist' is gone, but the biggest terrorists of all - the US and its allies - are still alive and kicking. One is an illegal terrorist and the other is legalised terrorist. Nothing different, if you ask me. For all intent and purposes of his so-called struggle, may the Almighty have mercy on his soul. Thousands of lives were lost because of Osama, they claim.

But in the same breath, millions of Muslims were butchered by the terrorists, US and its allies. Lives of these people is no different from the lives of the many Muslims killed. Let him rot in hell, they claim. Similarly, I also wish the same kind of aggressors like the US will also rot in the lowest hell.

KSN: America has been taken for a long ride by Pakistan and used all the talk about terrorist campaigns for huge amounts of aid used to further arm itself, in a very poor country and where millions of poor people suffering for subsistence. It is to be hoped that US wakes up at least now and face Pakistan head on remembering that the country is the training ground and protector of terrorists.

If Pakistan is neutralised, terrorism will die a natural death, and quickly too. All that huge sum of money saved from that fight can and should be used to alleviate poverty in Pakistan, Africa and elsewhere.

Sarajun Hoda: US, the human rights champion, decided to eliminate Osama without giving him a chance to defend himself. What was US afraid of?

Was US afraid Osama might tell the world something the US did not want the world to know. After all, US created Osama's Taliban. But why did US quickly kill him (although he was unarmed) and throw his body into the Arabian Sea?

There are too many questions. They say Osama killed thousands, but US killed millions more innocents around the world. So who is the greater evil?

 


The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .



Malaysiakini
news and views that matter


Sign In