No pre-election promise by Harapan to shut down Lynas

LETTER | We note that a letter to the editor of Malaysiakini dated 5 September 2019 entitled “Ministerial Responsibility in New M'sia - Shining Light or Stygian Gloom” included a misleading and incorrect statement regarding the Pakatan Harapan government and Lynas Malaysia.

It is factually incorrect to state that “In their election manifesto, Harapan had promised to close down the Australian rare earth plant” (Malaysiakini, Sept 5, 2019). There was no pre-election promise by the Harapan government to shut down Lynas. 

In its manifesto, Harapan outlined its promises to the people of Malaysia and there is no reference to Lynas or rare earths.

With respect, Malaysiakini compounded this error by including in the published copy of the letter a link to the Harapan manifesto (if you took the time to include a link to the manifesto, it should have been easy for you to check the contents of the manifesto).

Despite the recent claims of some activists to the contrary, Lynas was not an election issue in 2018.

As you are aware, the Harapan government’s 2018 independent Executive Review Committee found that Lynas Malaysia’s operations are low risk, compliant with relevant regulations, and that residue storage facilities are operated in a proper manner. 

This is consistent with three previous scientific reviews, including by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

MASHAL AHMAD is vice-president/managing director and ISMAIL BAHARI is general manager of Lynas Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.