Lynas Malaysia claims “thousands” of staff, contractors, local community members and family members rallied last weekend to defend their jobs, following a move to review the controversial rare earths plant which they fear may see a shut down.

In a statement today, Lynas said the protesters were seeking “fairness” in government’s review of the plant's operations.

According to the company, the rally was sparked by concerns that the review panel included politicians who had campaigned against the establishment of the Gebeng rare earths facility when it first started over environmental concerns.

“The event was organised by the workers of Lynas Malaysia to voice their concerns that their jobs may be at risk if the proposed Lynas executive review committee acts on the recently reported assertions by certain politicians (who are reported to be part of the committee) that the plant should be shut down,” read the statement.

It quoted a Lynas Malaysia solvent extraction senior manager Khairul Suhaimi, 41, as saying he felt the need to call for the rally as he believed the company and its workers are being “bullied”.

Lynas quoted a  staff identified only as Khairul as saying at the rally, "I urge the person running this review to act fairly and be transparent. We have no problem with a review into Lynas Malaysia’s operations because we abide by the rules, but we just want it to be fair."

According to the statement, Khairul has worked for Lynas since its commencement and he has purportedly “never considered the plant to be dangerous or harmful to the residents in Kuantan”.

Last month, it was reported that the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry would be establishing a committee to review Lynas' operations.

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh, who has been a vocal critic of Lynas since the project was first mooted in 2008, was appointed to chair the committee, who among others, want to review the company's radioactive waste management plan.

The company said it would cooperate with the review.

According to Lynas, those at the rally at Balok Beach in Kuantan on Saturday chanted "Hidup Lynas" (Long Live Lynas), “Bantu Kami” (help us) and "Hidup Tun" and appealed to the prime minister to consider their plight.

"I voted for this Pakatan Harapan government but now it has come back to bite me. I am quite disappointed," Lynas Malaysia's financial accountant Mohd Fairuz Kasmoin, 32, was quoted as saying.