Our ministers put us all at risk when they think nuclear

Malaysia’s nuclear programme was initially unveiled by Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui last May. He announced that his ministry was conducting a study into constructing Malaysia’s first plant, estimated to cost RM20bil to be completed by 2021.

When asked to comment on Peter’s statement, Atomic Energy Licensing Board director-general Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan replied that Malaysia’s first nuclear power plant should not be built in the Klang Valley because of its ‘high’ population of seven million people.

He said that the plant and its buffer zone needed to be constructed on at least 2.6sq-km of land, equal to about 314 football pitches.

By eliminating the Klang Valley, Abdul Aziz piled pressure on the other states. What if other Mentri Besars refuse Putrajaya's requests to build in their states because of population density? Will states be offered a monetary incentive or will they be punished with a reduced financial aid package from Putrajaya?

Abdul Aziz, who claimed to be impartial about the use of nuclear energy said that the plant required a base of solid rock with little or no seismic movement and that it had to be more than 10m elevation to be safe from disasters like tsunamis and hurricanes. Another requirement was proximity to a large body of water for cooling purposes.

He added, “It needs to be near the electricity grid in order to ‘hook’ onto it and on the least populated area with no other land use. So, the Klang Valley is expected to be out.”

Meanwhile Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Nuclear Science Department scientist Prof Dr Sukiman Sarmani said that the plant’s ideal site would be near the Straits of Malacca, among which are Batu Pahat in Johor, Pulau Angsa in Selangor and Sitiawan in Perak.

He said, “Other states like Malacca and Pahang will definitely offer some locations, too.”

He stressed that selection was subject to the Environmental Impact Assessment and Radiological Impact Assess­ment.

Dr Sukiman said while there was already a storage facility for low-level radioactive material in Belanja, Perak, spent fuel waste could also be kept in an underground mine and he said, “The Sungai Lembing tin mine is quite suitable for such a long-term storage.”

Perhaps, these men are too ‘young’ to have heard about Bukit Merah and Papan. Even Dr. Mahathir has expressed concern and doubts over a nuclear programme in Malaysia.

The attitude of our leaders is most worrying. Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak is keen to push his nuclear plan to the forefront. What happened to his promise of public consultation and dialogue?

He once said that ‘1Malaysia is intended to provide a free and open forum to discuss the things that matter deeply to us as a Nation…..I hope this website will initiate an open and vital dialogue exploring our Malaysian identity, our purpose, and direction.”

So far, there has been no such dialogue with members of the public to express their views or highlight any concerns and even to hear of their support, if any, for Najib’s nuclear ambition.

Our politicians have a tendency to think that only they know best. They also have the habit of riding rough shod over us.

An example of how residents’ views are brushed aside can be seen in the proposed cable car-project in Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut). Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir, said that the project would be another boost to Perak's tourism industry despite protests from the public, environmentalists and non-governmental organisations that the project would destroy the fragile eco-system, damage the water catchment area and is unsafe because of landslips.

Zambry’s response was that an ‘Environmental Impact Assessment report was not required as the project did not involve major development -- no trees would be felled or clearing of land and there would be minimal hill-cutting, adding that helicopters would be used during construction’.

Perak DOE director Abu Hassan Mohd Isa also said there was no need to carry out an EIA on the project.

He said, “The project does not come under the provisions or conditions where an EIA is required prior to approval.”

“We've discussed with the developer and stressed that development will not cause damage to the hill resort.”

He kept insisting, “The project is another tourist attraction in Taiping.”

It is obvious that our leaders are reluctant to even consider our opinions and concerns. At RM65 million, the Bukit Larut cable car project is tiny compared with the RM20 billion nuclear power programme.

But in terms of disasters, should anything go wrong, the nuclear one is more devastating.

Our leaders cannot even enforce simple rules on the highway and those to do with vehicle roadworthiness, or even regulate the construction of buildings on hillsides and slopes. And yet they dare risk our safety and well-being because they like to fantasise in nuclear proportions.