JULY 13 — Rare earth waste is not just a hot potato, but also a cancer that everyone tries to avoid. The announcement about Lynas Advance Material Plant’s (LAMP) submission of its permanent disposal facility (PDF) plan has worried all Malaysians, who fear that their homes might become the backyard of the PDF.

However, except for LAMP and the relevant government departments, no one has any ideas about the plan, as well as the proposed locations for the PDF.

To put it bluntly, it is a secret that cannot be revealed to the public, or an uproar will be triggered.

Therefore, we still know nothing about it so far and can only make our own guesses. However, it is almost certain that the waste would stay in our homeland, as the 1989 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal forbids transboundary movements of hazardous wastes, and our country is one of the 151 signatories.

As the people are anxiously playing a guessing game, Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has been the first to openly reject the waste with a very simple reason, that is, Negri Sembilan is not a state specialising in waste disposal!

Like Negri Sembilan, other states will not accept the waste either. Just as Mohamad Hasan said, the rare earth waste should be disposed of at the same place where it is processed. I am afraid that eventually the waste could only be kept in Pahang. But, would the people of Pahang agree with it?

Waste disposal has become a major national issue since a temporary operating licence (TOL) was issued to LAMP. Various government departments have made all sorts of promises but the secretive approaches and measures used to address the issue, as well as the vacillating and contradictory stand, have repeatedly triggered doubts, as well as dissatisfaction and indignation.

Improper disposal of rare earth waste could bring infinite scourges and it is a fact confirmed by world experts. Since it is a major issue related to the people’s safety and health, it should not be classified as a state secret. Instead, the people should know the truth in the most transparent manner. Otherwise, the people’s resentment would expand and eventually the government would have to bear the political price that it brings.

In fact, it is a mistake from the beginning when the government allowed LAMP to build its refinery before submitting its waste disposal facility plan. As one bad choice leads to another, since the government has opened the door for the crisis-ridden industry, it must face its potential sequel. Today, the government is trapped in a waste disposal crisis.

Since what is done is done, the government has no choice but to face all the consequences of it.

I have no intention to demonise the rare earth refinery, but I would like to bring up a few questions as a member of the public:

1. Is there any suitable locations for rare earth waste disposal in our country?

2. Does the proposed permanent disposal facility meet international standards?

3. Are the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and other related government departments capable of closely monitoring the rare earth refinery, known as the world’s largest of its kind, and ensuring no problem for its disposal facility?

Hazardous waste disposal is always risky. Science and technologies can only minimise the risk of leakage, but there is no guarantee of risk elimination. Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant serves as the most powerful example here.

If the doubts are not cleared and the fear is not removed, closing the rare earth refinery will forever be the people’s only choice.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.