Emergency over toxic emission may create panic attack, says DPM

The government will evaluate the extent of the situation at Pasir Gudang in Johor first before deciding on the need to declare a state of emergency, lest such a move leads to a wave of “panic attack”, said Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

She said the government was committed to taking any steps necessary to ensure the safety of residents there, especially students and children.

Even so, she said the matter had yet to reach the national level and was still under the state government.

“I will go to Pasir Gudang this evening to see for myself the current situation and how it can be addressed, such as (calling a state of) emergency.

“Now it is still under the state, not yet national level, so I will see (the situation there) to ss she told reporters at Parliament lobby today.

When pressed on the call for a state of emergency, Wan Azizah, who is also women, family and community development minister, said a meeting will be held to discuss the matter.

“(We) will have a meeting first and think about it, as we have steps to address the problem.

“If we were to declare (an emergency) and create a panic attack, we can’t have that," she added.

Wan Azizah said the government must get to the bottom of the problem and come up with short- and long-term steps to address it.

The minister, however, did not give further details on the meeting, other than to say it will be held in Pasir Gudang.

This comes following calls by opposition and Pakatan Harapan lawmakers for the government to declare an emergency following the seemingly worsening situation in Pasir Gudang after a suspected chemical emission at Sungai Kim Kim last week. 

Toxic fumes from suspected illegal chemical dumping resulted in 111 schools being ordered shut, while over 500 people have sought medical treatment, including teachers and students.

Of those seeking treatment, it was reported over 166 have been hospitalised, with nine placed in the intensive care unit (ICU).

The Dewan Rakyat is set to debate the call for the government to declare emergency status in Pasir Gudang at 4.30pm today after Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof accepted a motion by Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim.

The Johor government has approved an RM6.4 million allocation for the clean up of Sungai Kim Kim. 

Meanwhile, during a press conference at Parliament lobby, Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin urged factory and plant operators with toxic wastes not to dispose of them in a panic to avoid prosecution.

“Our enforcement officers will be checking up (on all factories), it doesn’t matter if you have adhered to the law or not (on the storing of scheduled waste). So don’t dump them because you are afraid of the officers coming,” she told reporters. - Mkini