The Himpunan Hijau Steering Committee has dismissed the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on the Lynas rare earth refinery as a mere propaganda tool to hoodwink the public.

Committee chairperson Wong Tack said the people of Kuantan had already made their objections against the project known but this has been ignored by the authorities, thus the PSC makes no difference.

NONE Wong ( centre in photo ) described the PSC as "another gimmick" and said the federal government should instead cancel its temporary operating licence (TOL) for the company and initiate investigations into the approval process.

"The PSC is a propaganda tool and a public relation exercise to deceive the people. It is thus an insult to our Parliament", said Wong in a statement today.

Wong was responding to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's announcement that the bi-partisan PSC would have no say in deciding whether Lynas will be allowed to operate the plant.

Instead, Najib said the PSC's job, as decided by Cabinet, was to engage the public to ensure that they understood the safety and health issues related to the plant.

Boycott urged

Wong urged MPs, the public and NGOs to boycott the PSC hearings.

"Do not allow yourselves to be reduced to the degrading status of being mouthpiece of an oppressive foreign capitalist coloniser," he said.

Wong also argued that the establishment of the PSC showed that the various government departments and ministries involved in the Lynas plant were not functioning.

"It clearly shows that our various ministers including our prime minister have made conclusive statements that the plant is safe without facts and information," he said.

The nine-member PSC panel will be led by Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin. Three seats are reserved for Pakatan Rakyat while other is reserved for a member from the opposition bloc.

Pakatan has yet to reveal whether they will take part in the PSC.