The prime minister’s “flip-flop” on the select committee on the Lynas plant is a response to Pakatan Rakyat’s boycott, and shows Najib Razak’s insincerity in halting the project in the interest of public safety, said DAP.

NONE DAP sec-gen Lim Guan Eng in a statement today pointed out that Bernama had on March 17 reported Najib saying the “the Lynas issue will not decide on the fate of the controversial rare earths plant”.

“For Najib to change his tune to say that the parliamentary select committee (PSC) was a ‘ strong basis for us to make a decision’ on Lynas is a flip-flop from his Mar 17 remarks.

“Clearly this change is the result of Pakatan’s boycott of the PSC.

“However, such a flip-flop only raises more questions whether the prime minister is serious and sincere about following through on closing down Lynas in the face of evidence and proof of environmental damage and threats to public health and safety," said Lim, who is also Bagan MP.

Najib had earlier commented that the select committee’s findings will not influence the government’s decision on the rare earths refinery.

Pakatan, on Tuesday, decided not to partake in the process claiming that setting up the committee “is an attempt to whitewash” the dangers from the rare earths refinery.

Also, because no assurance was granted that Lamp’s temporary operating licence would be withdrawn, and its shipment of the rare earths ore from Mount Weld in Western Australia would be suspended, pending the committee’s investigations.

The government decided to moot the select committee after calls from various environmental and civil societies movements demanding Lamp is shut down before it begins operations by the end of the third quarter.

Lim reiterated that Najib “to prove his commitment and seriousness” should issue a stop-work order to Lamp and state the government’s willingness to compensate the company the RM700 million used to construct the plant.

“Any failure to do so will only raise doubts as to the integrity of the select committee headed by Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin as nothing more than a mere political tool by BN to legitimatise the illegal or justify the unjustifiable,” added Lim.