The DAP is planning to launch a petition against nuclear energy plants for a greener, cleaner and safer Malaysia in Penang tomorrow.

The party’s environmental bureau chief Thing Siew Shuen said a similar petition had been launched in Miri, Sarawak during the election campaign last month.

However, more signatures are needed before it is sent to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and other federal ministers, she added.

“This is so that they (Najib and other ministers) can hear the urging of the people and cancel the plan to built the plants in the country,” she said.

The campaign will be launched at a mega-ceramah at the Dome, in Komtar tomorrow, where about eight DAP strongmen, including Sarawak party leaders, would be speaking.

In December last year, Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui announced plans to build two nuclear power plants that will generate 1,000 megawatts each.

The first plant is expected to be ready for operation in 2021 and the second plant, a year later.

They are part of the overall long-term plan to balance energy supplies in the country.

The announcement generated a mixed reaction from the public, and in March,  Chin said the cabinet has yet to decide on the matter.

NONE Meanwhile, Thing said the idea for the petition was mooted in light of the Fukushima nuclear power plant tragedy in March 2011.

Since Fukushima was the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl 25 years ago, Thing said the petition aims to urge Najib and his administration to stop the construction of the nuclear power plants here.

It also calls upon the prime minister and his cabinet to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, she added.

“We also urge the government to disclose the details of the proposed nuclear power plant to the public,” explained Thing, who is special assistant to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

“We demand that the Asean countries halt their promotion of nuclear power plants to protect our national interests and security,” she added.