PARLIAMENT A PKR lawmaker today slammed Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia for being irrational in throwing out a petition by Kuantan residents opposing the bauxite mining project in Pahang.

"The excuse used by the speaker is trivial and unacceptable. The speaker has given an excuse which does not make sense to me," Fuziah Salleh (PKR-Kuantan) said.

Fuziah said the speaker shot down the petition on grounds that two lawmakers had brought it up when the Standing Order stipulated it should be done by only one parliamentarian.

The speaker was also not satisfied over the lack of names and signatures on the petition.

Fuziah ( photo ) was forced to retract her original term ' tidak masuk akal ' which she used to describe the petition's dismissal following a protest by Deputy Speaker Ismail Mohamed Said.

"I don't allow this, (I) want you to retract ' tidak masuk akal '," Ismail told her.

Fuziah replied: " Tidak masuk akal was how I felt. I now use (the word) 'irrational' ( tidak munasabah )."

She added that the House should not ignore the residents' voice on such technical grounds.

Things getting out of control

At a press conference in the Parliament lobby later, Fuziah said she was disappointed that the voices of those living in Kuantan won't be heard.

"The state government can't control the situation anymore, things are just getting out of control, that's why we tried to go to the federal government," she said.

She added that all she wants is for a halt on the export of bauxite, so as to negate the need to continue mining for the mineral.

She then reiterated her remarks on Monday that four rivers in Kuantan were now heavily contaminated by mercury, and could have an adverse health effects on the local population.

Indera Mahkota MP Fauzi Abdul Rahman also warned that there might be mob justice if there is nothing done to stop the mining.