Pahang PAS man pledges to defend Lynas

Beserah assemblyperson Andansura Rabu has pledged to defend the Lynas rare earth refinery with the same zeal he had when he once opposed it.

In a statement yesterday, Andansura said the refinery had operated for 10 years and there was now enough data being collected to evaluate the facility.

"I have to be fair in reviewing my stand on the safety of the refinery based on the findings and reports by (government) agencies, academicians and industry experts," he said.

Andansura, who is the Pahang PAS deputy head, was the leader of the Stop Lynas Coalition from 2010 till 2013.

By 2018, he had publicly changed his stance, arguing that the refinery was safe based on the facts that he had reviewed.

Andansura argued that Putrajaya's conditions for Lynas to move its cracking and leaching processes abroad were unfair to the company and its 800 local staff.

In view of this, he pledged to work with his colleagues in the Pahang Legislative Assembly to engage stakeholders with the goal of protecting the refinery.

‘Staff, households will be affected’

"We hold this position because of the welfare of the hundreds of (Lynas) staff and thousands of households that will be affected, including the economy.

"I urge the concerned citizens to stand with us by keeping the public informed," he said.

Andansura claimed that the refinery was worth RM200 million to the local economy.

Putrajaya has mandated that Lynas must move its cracking and leaching plant abroad by July 2023, among four conditions.

Failure to comply may result in the closure of the rare earth refinery.

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