Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today admitted that the government had been a bit 'late' in handling the bauxite-mining mania plaguing Kuantan.

However, according to him, it was a case of better being late than never.

"There was a slight weakness on our part because we were late to act but it is better that there is action now than this issue not being tackled at all.

"I hope the government will continue its efforts to resolve this issue," Khairy said at a press conference at Kuala Lumpur's Putra World Trade Centre.

The government had last Friday announced a three-month moratorium on bauxite mining to facilitate the clearing of existing stockpiles and to allow proper mining infrastructure to be set up.

The decision came many months after Kuantan residents began complaining of the Mars-like environment they had to live in due to the mining.

Khairy hoped a probe into those responsible for polluting Kuantan would be extended to catch the culprit.

He also hoped the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) won't just set its sights on small fries.

"We hope the MACC probe won't stop at low-ranking officers. We hope for a thorough investigation that gets to those responsible," Khairy said.

The MACC has arrested at least 11 people in its probe onto corruption surrounding the bauxite mining industry. This includes five Pahang land and mining officers.