Friendly fire: Redzuan says Yeo's Lynas position not backed by cabinet

Entrepreneur Development Minister Mohd Redzuan Yusof today waded further into his colleague Yeo Bee Yin's portfolio at the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry (Mestecc), claiming her position on Australian rare-earth mining company Lynas was not endorsed by the cabinet.

Specifically, he referred to the Mestecc minister's position that Lynas' radioactive Water Leach Purification (WLP) waste must be sent out of the country.

"The cabinet decision is clear, which is to allow Lynas to operate. Waste is a separate matter to be addressed.

"There is no decision collectively by the government to send back the waste to Australia. We have to have a bilateral understanding," he told journalists at the Parliament lobby today.

While pointing out that it was Yeo who had stated that Lynas had to remove the WLP from the country, Redzuan said he was unsure if it was her personal position.

"Well, I don't know if that is her personal opinion or it was a decision by the cabinet, but we still have yet to make a firm decision collectively to send the waste back to Australia," he said.

Mestecc had, in a statement on Dec 4 (below) last year, said it will not accept the unlimited accumulation of waste at Lynas' rare-earth processing plant in Gebeng, Kuantan.

It further said that Lynas would be required to remove the WLP from Malaysia.

The ministry added that the company will need to provide an action plan on how to deal with its Neutralisation Underflow residue (NUF), which is one of two wastes that it produces, apart from the WLP.

Redzuan's comments came hours after Mestecc deputy minister Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis reiterated to the Dewan Rakyat that the ministry wants Lynas to send the WLP waste out of the country.

"The minister had written an official letter to her counterpart in Australia on Feb 26 to facilitate the removal of WLP residue from Malaysia to Australia," she said in response to a question from Subang MP Wong Chen.

Munirah said a task force was identifying the international procedure and instrument on removing the WLP from the country.

On Saturday, Redzuan raised eyebrows when he said that the government would allow Lynas to continue its local operations in the interest of foreign direct investment.

Subsequently, Bentong MP Wong Tack, who is among the key figures in the anti-Lynas movement, told Redzuan not to interfere in affairs not under his jurisdiction.

Redzuan's comment had also opened Harapan leaders to attacks from the opposition due to their anti-Lynas position.

'Too early to decide'

However, Redzuan was firm in his position when he addressed journalists at the Parliament lobby today.

"It is too early to make a decision, to compel people to take back the waste... We are a government that is friendly to business... Lynas' investment is too big to ignore.

"To take back (waste) to Australia is not a collective cabinet decision. It is a suggestion that many factors need to be considered, we have to manage the waste.

"We are relying on facts, we are relying on reports," he said.

Redzuan said the government was prepared to shut down Lynas if reports deem it to be unsafe, but he said the reports that have been commissioned did not make such a finding.

A review committee had found elevated levels of heavy metals in the groundwater around the Lynas plant. However, it did not conclusively identify their source and instead recommended further investigations. - Mkini