STOP MANIPULATING THE PEOPLE

THE MINISTER of the Science, Technology & Innovation Ministry (MOSTI), Maximus Ongkili’s statement that majority Malaysians are in favour of the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) project is made without basis and is just another ploy to manipulate the rakyat into accepting a project that can bring massive irreversible damage to this nation.

“Even if we put the issue of manipulation aside, in principle, is it acceptable to say that if one have bigger power or a bigger number (majority), then one can bulldoze things through at the expense of people’s suffering?” asked Wong Tack, chairperson of Himpunan Hijau national steering committee.

“Probably this is the mindset of Ongkili. Probably this is why for years, he has allowed his own people, the indigenous people of Sabah, to be marginalized and ran over,” added Wong.

Himpunan Hijau also deplored the MOSTI’s minister’s claim that the decision to issue the TOL is based on science.

“Ongkili, as a minister tasked with the responsibility to advise the top leader of this nation with science and facts, has continued to fail in his duty. He has continued to base his decisions on non–independent, one-sided, so-called scientific information from the project proponent. We seriously questioned his credibility. As we clearly remember, he once said that the wastes from a rare earth refinery can be discharged into the drain,” said Wong Tack.

Ongkili’s statement which implies that those who come forward for the Himpunan Hijau BLOCKADE campaign will be dealt with by the relevant authorities for breaking law and order is clearly aimed to intimidate the people.

“As a minister, Ongkili has allowed all the departments and agencies under his care to break all laws and regulations throughout the entire approval process of the LAMP project, and let a foreign corporate colonizer slip-in through the backdoor of our country. So, who is actually violating the law here?” asked Wong Tack.

“Ongkili might be in position but he has forgotten that the power is in the hands of the people. Until today, he still fails to feel the sentiment of the rakyat. This proves how much our leaders have disassociated themselves with the grassroot and the community.

“We foresee all these proud and arrogant leaders will be condemned and punished one day,” concluded Wong Tack.