Lynas Issue: AELB's exemplary engagement and display of transparency with the public

AELB top man DG YM Dato' Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan

If you are looking for transparency and exemplary engagement with the public, look no further than our Government Agency, the Atomic Energy Licensing Board AELB, story from here:

AELB releases public feedback on LAMP

Stephanie Sta Maria

 | February 16, 2012

AELB says that the five conditions attached to the TOL reflects the public's concerns.

DENGKIL: In a move to fulfil the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) recommendation of public engagement over the Lynas Corp’s controversial rare earth refinery in Kuantan, the Atomic Energy Licencing Board (AELB) has begun releasing snippets of feedback collected during the public viewing of Lynas’ application permit.

AELB and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) approved Lynas’ application for a temporary operating licence (TOL) on Feb 1, just three days after the deadline for submission of public feedback.

Anti-Lynas groups slammed the decision as “hasty” and accused AELB and Mosti of completely disregarding public opinion.

In the first of a series of weekly media briefings, AELB said that it will make public five frequently asked questions each week, compiled during the public display of the Lynas permit. It will also explain details of the TOL and address any “misinformation”.

“The application permit received a lot of opposition,” acknowledged AELB director-general Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan. “A majority of the comments however were one-liners protesting Lynas.”

“While it is difficult for us to measure emotional and unsubstantiated comments, such feedback is important as it shows that Lynas needs to provide a lot more information for the public to make informed decisions.”

Aziz pointed out that the five conditions attached to the approval of the TOL reflected public opinion which mainly pertained to the Permanent Disposal Facility, the financing of residue management and a third-party assessor.

“Remember that the TOL has only been approved and not yet issued,” he stated. “For that to happen, Lynas needs to make payments for the licencing fee and the first installment of US$50 million.”

“This addresses the financing of residue management in the event that Lynas goes bust. AELB has also drawn up specifications for the independent third-party assessor and we will be conferring with various professional bodies on this draft. Lynas will bear the cost of the appointment.”

“As for the facility, Lynas must provide a detailed plan and location 10 months after the licence is issued or it will not be allowed to operate.”

More than 70 conditions imposed

Aziz added that AELB has also imposed more than 70 conditions above these five and that two of those conditions involved two letters of undertaking from Lynas.

The first letter will hold Lynas responsible for any untoward incident arising from the operations of the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP).

The second letter will place the onus on Lynas to return the residue to Australia in the event that its plan to commercialise the residue fails.

However, Aziz refused to entertain probes on media reports that Australia will not be accepting any of the residue back into the country.

“I don’t speak for Lynas or Australia,” he stated “And I have no idea as to what media reports you are referring to. But I will make sure that we receive these letters of undertaking.”

Asked if Lynas can be trusted to honour those letters, Aziz replied that AELB has records of trustworthy suppliers and he didn’t foresee any such problems.

“Malaysia’s law is very clear,” he stressed. “It will be very difficult for Lynas not to comply. And in any case, we have Plan B, C and D.”

Aziz also shot down rumours that Lynas has begun importing ore into Malaysia and reiterated that Lynas needs to apply for a separate permit for importation which it has not done yet.

He further assured that AELB will sample and verify the composition of each and every shipment of raw materials that reach Malaysia despite samples already been assessed in Australia.

“We never know if those samples are biased,” Aziz said. “So we will take Lynas’ assessment report with a pinch of salt and conduct our own verification.”

DOE official: DEIA unnecessary

Also present at the briefing was a representative of the Department of Environment (DOE), who dismissed calls for a Detailed Environment Impact Assessment (DEIA) as unnecessary.

Kuantan MP and Lynas’ most vocal detractor, Fuziah Salleh, earlier called for a DEIA as the Preliminary Environment Impact Assessment (PEIA) was flawed.

However, the Principal Assistant Director of the Evaluation Division in the DOE, Azuri Azizah Saedon, pointed out that everything in the PEIA has already been studied approved.

“The PEIA has already detailed the hazards involved in the LAMP operations and the report was displayed from May 30 to June 30 last year,” she said.

FAQs

The restrictions imposed on the public viewing of Lynas documents.

The documents officially belong to Lynas (M) Sdn Bhd and are therefore subject to their legal rights over the protection of commercial information and intellectual property.

Lynas is the same as Asian Rare Earths (ARE)

There are some similarities as well as differences between Lynas and ARE. The raw material at ARE was amang while Lynas raw materials contain rare earth concentrates. They both contain uranium and thorium. However, the major difference is that ARE raw materials is 37 times more radioactive than Lynas’ raw materials and the ARE residue is 60 times more radioactive than what Lynas would produce.

Lynas is taking advantage of weakness in the Malaysian law by proposing China’s standards.

Malaysian law is equivalent to, if not stricter than international law. Lynas is subject to the Malaysian law and must comply with international standards and good practices.

Lynas declares the residue as non-radioactive based on China’s standard of 74 Bq/g.

Under Malaysian law,74 Bq/g is deemed radioactive and is therefore regulated under Act 304.

Does the plant increase my risk of contracting cancer?

Cancer could be caused by a variety of factors including high radiation exposure. Even though there is no concrete evidence linking low levels of radiation to an increased risk of cancer, the very low levels of radiation exposure arising from Lynas’ operations is still subject to strict radiation protection standards imposed by the AELB. This is to ensure the safety of workers, the public and the environment.

Kudos to the AELB for trying very hard to inform the misinformed.

Read another report from MI: 

AELB says engineer certified Lynas plant as safe

Bayan Mutiara: Is this proof? more like poof!

Drum roll please .....

.......Now here's the much awaited "proof" about the much awaited document from the SCAT DAP Pulau Pinang State Gomen to show that the Bayan Mutiara deal is "transparent":

Read in full here.

While many Guan Eng devotees would unquestioningly lap every single word that he says, Lim who is being treated like a sort of demigod by DAP followers as one who can do no wrong and cannot be questioned did not answer the many question posed by many critiques of the land deal which is not only posed by UMNO/BN but other NGOs too, instead he comes out at his critiques with the usual gun blazing(hot air and innuendos lah) waving a valuation paper that is more than 3 years old which was not even mentioned in the Ivory Notice to the Bursa as reference for land valuation. See below:

Read the notice to the Bursa here

Note that Ivory together with obviously the PP DAP State Gomen had used a Henry Butcher Valuation document dated 3 Nov 2011 which valued the said lands at RM1,079,500,000 and  on 11 November 2011, Ivory entered into the PDA for the purchase and development of the Land with the PP DAP State Gomen for a total cash consideration of RM1,072,203,264. The amount agreed between the two parties would be only less than than the Henry Butcher valuation by RM7,296,796.00. 

Unless you are a hard wired DAP devotee, Its not rocket science to work out  that Ivory only agreed to a price of RM1,072,203,264 based on the Henry Butcher valuation dated 3/10/11 and of course the preceding negotiation, and NOT because Guan Eng say that he fixed the price at RM200 per square feet. [Mana boleh suka-suka pick a price from thin air meh, you think Malaysian businessman stupid ka]

I think the proof is not the proof that we are all asking and not the kind of transparency that is expected for someone who tells the whole world that his is a CAT Competency, Accountability and Transparency type of Gomen. The Bayan Mutiara deal is far from over.

CAT should not mean a display of arrogance by ridiculing your critiques nor asking them to buy the Bayan Mutiara land at a higher price which is not only childish but can't be done as a Contract now exist between Ivory and the State Gomen.

CAT should not mean telling Malaysians who resides in other parts of Malaysia not to comment on PP state matters, that is bloody arrogant way of trying to wriggle your way out of answering your critiques.

If a politician, no matter which side of the divide that they are at, reaches a stage where he/she cannot be questioned or criticized and instead turn on their critiques without being able to answer in a civil manner than  he/she  is no more useful to their party,  he/she  becomes a liability, as Power has got into their head, they love themselves more than their party.and its therefore time to go. Malaysia is not short of Malaysian talents unlike the DAP which has not changed their No.1 leader since 1966.

I say if you can't stand the heat don't stay in the kitchen. CAT is officially SCAT.

A straight definition of inflation

Got an email from a friend which explains inflation very well: 

....ah, but may make the the ladies go on an immediate diet. Jangan marah ya.

Bayan Mutiara Deal: RFP is NOT an Open Tender and what is DAP CAT again?

"Request for Proposal (RFP)  is an invitation to enter into a negotiation.The successful proposer is given an opportunity to negotiate with the owner, but not yet awarded contract."

"Open tender is a bid process open to all qualified bidders and where the sealed bids are opened for scrutiny and the successful bid are chosen on the basis of price and quality."

The Bayan Mutiara deal between the Pulau Pinang DAP State Gomen and Ivory Properties Group Bhd. has drawn a lot of heat recently, even Mr. Polite himself Mr. Anil Netto had much misgivings and I (selectively) quote "Market price for the land is “not even RM150 psf”? Hmmm… and the GDV is RM10bn?"  and "PDC should never have sold this land lock, stock and barrel to a private developer. Instead, it could have sold a small part of it and used the funds raised to provide social amenities, a large public park and affordable housing. You cannot put a price on such things". 

There are many criticism coming CM Guan Eng's way for selling super prime land at a very low price compared to adjacent development in what seems to be a not so CAT transaction:

Read in Full Here

Read in Full Here

Notable bloggers has come up in arms over the issue read here at BigDog and SatD. Something must really be wrong if  Mr. Anil Netto blogged quite a bit about it too, read here and here and I am sure he will continue to do so in the interest of Penangites.

Guan Eng as usual will attack his critiques with all guns blazing, but something tells me that this might be the start of his Waterloo:

Read in full here

Why I said that? 

A request for proposal is NOT an Open tender no matter how often Guan Eng want to say it and this is confirmed by Ivory's announcement to the Bursa:

Read in full here

The purchase price was arrived at after negotiation with the Chief Minister Incorporated and PDC and apparently instead of the customary 99 years lease, Ivory will be issued with freehold land titles too:

Read in full here

The proposed development is expected to generate a Gross Development Value (GDV)  of RM10 Billion, pretty good money for Ivory I must say, considering that the PDC can by itself do the development themselves albeit in stages as the previous BN State Gomen had made them do many times before, sadly and strangely PDC suddenly lost all ability and confidence to do the same thing under the DAP State Gomen.

When Penangites who voted the DAP Gomen in wise up to what is being done now they will be asking and expect real answers from Guan Eng and the DAP, not political ones, it seems the DAP has sold out the  people of Penang, even the low cost housing developments are being transferred to mainland Penang while the expensive ones remains on the Island.

Yes I am sure Penangites in particular and Malaysians in general would sure like to hear Guan Eng answer these particular questions on the Bayan Mutiara deal in the name of Competency, Accountability and Transparency, CAT lah tu. Don't answer like don't want to answerlah because this time Guan Eng you cannot pin the blame on BN conspiracy or fitnah or whatever. 

Read my lips: A Request for Proposal is NOT and an open tender. Bye-bye CAT.

Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang: PAS dan Negara Haram Israel

In response to many calls to make PAS's stand clear on the Palestine-Israel Conflict, Pas's President Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang wrote this no holds barred hard hitting article in his blog:


PAS dan negara haram Israel

Ditulis oleh Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi AwangJumaat, 10 Februari 2012 22:57

Bumi Palestin dimuliakan sejarahnya oleh Nabi Ibrahim A.S. Bapa kepada para nabi selepasnya yang diiktiraf oleh semua penganut agama samawi. Nabi Muhammad  S.A.W. dilahirkan daripada zuriatnya yang dihantar ke Makkah, yang dianugerah Allah kepada Ibrahim A.S. kerana jasa perjuangannya yang besar menentang syirik dan zalim oleh kuasa terbesar dunia dizamanya iaitu kerajaan Babylon yang diperintah oleh Raja Namrud.

Bumi Palestin adalah salah satu daripada tiga tanah suci bagi umat Islam, selepas Makkah yang dibuka oleh Ibrahim A.S. dan Madinah tempat Hijrah Rasulullah S.A.W. Palestin dimuliakan  kerana ramainya para Rasul dilahirkan di situ dan berpijak di atasnya  kaki para anbiya’  dan banyak darah para syuhada daripada kalangan Nabi dan ulama, kerana dibunuh oleh bangsa yahudi  dengan zalimnya , menyebabkan mereka dilaknat Allah sehingga hari Qiamat. Allah juga manjadikan kiblat pertama bagi umat Islam dibumi Palestin. Di sini juga tampat berakhirnya  Isra’ dan bermulanya Mikraj Rasulullah S.A.W. ketika dijemput menjadi tetamu Allah. Maka  yang layak memakmurkan Palastin ialah  mereka yang beriman dan budiman.

Agama Islam mewajibkan penganutnya memegang amanah memelihara bumi Palestin dan tidak melarang  penganut Yahudi dan Kristian melakukan ibadat mengikut agama mereka dan mengunjungi tempat suci mereka. Sejarah membuktika hanya pemimpin Islam sahaja dapat menunaikan amanah memakmurkan bumi Palestin dengan memberi hak yang adil kepada semua.

Kejayaan tentera Islam di zaman Khalifah Umar bin Al Khattab R.A. membebaskan Palestin daripada penjajahan Romawi disambut oleh Paderi besarnya dengan meminta Khalifah Umar  datang menyaksikannya. Maka Khalifah Umar datang sehingga mengunjungi geraja besarnya, kemudian dimeteraikan perjanjian yang memberi hak yang adil kepada semua, kerana selama ini penjajah Romawi Byzantin yang beragama Kristian  mazhab Ortodok, tidak melayani mereka yang tidak semazhab dengannya dan kerajaan Yahudi pula menzalimi mereka yang tidak seagama dengannya. Hal yang sama berlaku dalam era kelemahan kerajaan Islam, sehingga tentera salib menakluk Palestin. Keadaan  menjadi baik semula, setelah Sultan Salahuddin Al Ayyubi daripada bangsa Kurdis dapat mengalahkan tentera Salib yang zalim dan membebaskan semula bumi Palastin. Lalu melayani semua pengunjungnya dengan adil.

Di zaman mutakhir, malapetaka menimpa bumi Palestin dengan memuncaknya keganasan, setelah Palestin dirampas dengan ganas oleh penjajah Barat yang menyimpan dendam terhadap Islam dan mengambil kesempatan daripada kelemahan umat  Islam Arab yang memperkecilkan Islam dan membesarkan kebangsaan Arab sehingga melebihi Islam dan mengatasinya. Dalam pembahagian tanah air yang dijajah dikalangan penjajah barat, maka Palastin jatuh ke dalam bahagian penjajahan British. Perjanjian Balfore dimeteraikan diantara pemimpin Zionis Yahudi dangan Menteri Luar British, Lord Balfore bagi menyerahkan bumi Palastin kepada golongan Zionis untuk mendirikan negara kebangsaan Yahudi  dinamakan Israel. Kalangan penganut mazhab Ortodok  Yahudi menentangnya dan memberi amaran bahawa tindakan ini bercanggah dengan ajaran mereka dan boleh menguburkan bangsa Yahudi. Kalangan sekuler yang memisahkan agama yahudi daripada politik melakukan kesalahan besar ini,  semata-mata menegakkan semangat kebangsaan dengan alasan sejarah bohong, bagi negara agung Israel yang pernah dipimpin oleh Nabi Sulaiman A.S. sehingga  menakluk dunia.

Negara bernama Israel sebenarnya tidak wujud dalam peta dunia sejak Allah mencipta bumi. Negara ini diwujudkan secara haram oleh kuasa besar dunia selepas perang dunia kedua, bagi mengotakan perjanjian Balfore  yang melibatkan British yang dibantu oleh zionis Yahudi, sejak  perang dunia pertama lagi. Negara ini hukumnya haram mengikut hukum agama dan undang-undang antarabangsa ciptaan manusia. Ini kerana ia merampas daripada penduduk asalnya dan menghalau sebahagian besar daripada mereka. Negara kuasa besar dunia yang menjajah memejam mata bagi menghilangkan sifat perikemanusiaan mereka untuk melakukan jenayah bersejarah ini demi kepentingan mereka. Bahkan sebahagian pemimpin negara itu dibantu oleh wang dan media golongan zionis untuk berkuasa.

Dalam pertarungan politik dan ekonomi antarabangsa yang didalangi oleh kuasa besar dunia pula, menjadikan negara haram Israel rakan strategik untuk menjaga kepentingan mereka dirantau paling banyak membekalkan sumber tenaga kepada dunia, dan juga bertindak menjadi polis bagi pihak Barat terhadap dunia Islam.

Perkara ini ditambah lagi dengan sikap tidak saksama negara besar  yang menghalalkan negara haram Israel  memiliki  senjata pemusnah yang diharamkan kerana tanpa perikemanusiaan. Israel sudah membinanya sejak tahun enam puluhan lagi dan menghalang dengan apa cara sahaja bagi melindungi jenayah kemanusiaan yang dilakukannya. Walaupun melalui badan antar bangsa yang paling besar dan berpengaruh, sehinggalah menggunakan kuasa veto paling zalim.

Bagi umat Islam sudah menjadi perkara wajib membebaskan Palestin sepenuhnya dan membela saudara mereka yang dizalimi, sehingga menjadi fardu ain kepada penduduk tempatan dan yang berjiran dan wajib mengikut kedudukan masing-masing di tempat yang jauh. Haram menerima kewujudan negara haram. Maka PAS yang berdasarkan Islam menolak penyelesaian wujud dua negara, satu untuk rakyat Palestin dan satu lagi bernama Israel untuk Yahudi Zionis. Bagi kami, hanya satu negara Palestin sahaja bagi penduduknya yang berhak.

Walau pun banyak kalangan negara Arab menerima penyelsaian secara mewujudkan dua negara, ketahuilah bahawa Palestin bukan hak orang Arab sahaja. Palestin adalah hak umat Islam seluruhnya. Kalangan penganut agama Yahudi yang kuat berpegang dengan agama Yahudi menolak wujudnya negara Israel dan menghukumnya dosa besar kerana tindakannya adalah menggali kubur untuk kaum yahudi  sendiri, yang disedari melakukan jenayah dosa besar, membasahi bumi Palastin dengan  darah para anbiya dan ulama yang soleh.

Bagi Penganut Islam, bacalah firman Allah dalam beberapa surah. Diantaranya firman Allah:

وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ (61 ) البقرة.

61.  Lalu ditimpahkanlah kepada mereka nista dan kehinaan, serta mereka mendapat kemurkaan dari Allah. hal itu (terjadi) karena mereka selalu mengingkari ayat-ayat Allah dan membunuh para nabi yang memang tidak dibenarkan. demikian itu (terjadi) karena mereka selalu berbuat durhaka dan melampaui batas.

Firman Allah:

إنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَيَقْتُلُونَ الَّذِينَ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْقِسْطِ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ (21) أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآَخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ نَاصِرِينَ (22 ) آل عمران .

21.  Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang engkar kepada ayat-ayat Allah dan membunuh para nabi yang memang tak dibenarkan dan membunuh orang-orang yang menyuruh manusia berbuat adil, maka gembirakanlah mereka, bahawa mereka akan menerima siksa yang pedih.

22.  Mereka itu adalah orang-orang yang lenyap (pahala) amal-amalnya di dunia dan akhirat, dan mereka sekali-kali tidak memperoleh penolong.

Bagi penganut Islam yang mendirikan solat lima waktu yang diwajibkan, memanjatkan doa pada tiap-tiap rakaat sembahyangnya supaya dijauhkan bersifat golongan yang dimurkai Allah, maksudnya saperti golongan Zionis Yahudi tersebut.

Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang,

Presiden PAS

Terima Kasih banyak-banyak Tok Guru.

I do not have anything further to add.

Dear YAB DS Najib: It Is Time for Shahrizat to Stand Down

Tun Mahathir has given his view, the indomitable Tan Sri Rafidah has also given hers and many in UMNO and BN had given their views directly or indirectly but after a three weeks leave Minister Shahrizat did not seemed to get the message.This article from the thechoice.com.my says it best:

It Is Time for Shahrizat to Stand Down

Here at the The Choice, we spent some time looking at the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal and we wrote about Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

We think that any of her past achievements are now in danger of being eclipsed by her ability to distract half the Malaysian body politic from more important matters. Like a transparent discussion of the issues and policy visions of Government and Opposition ahead of GE13.

She is proving a major and unwelcome distraction.

The Wanita Umno chief has returned from performing the Umrah, and remained defiant, even more so perhaps than before. PKR has renewed its assault on her, and Shahrizat, as is her wont, has taken to jibes, jokes, sarcasm and sneering responses, denying any wrongdoing, and most recently denying that the NFC scandal will have any impact on GE13.

She is a distraction.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) continues its investigation. Her family is a target of that investigation.

In a very real way, Shahrizat is caught in a trap. Undeniably, she has neither been charged with anything (nor has her family), nor has she even come under a formal legal proceeding. She is undeniably entitled to due process, to the completion of the MACC investigation, and to the presumption of innocence.

Except that in most democracies, if a minister is under the cloud of even alleged scandal they often stand down in order to try and clear their name.

Shahrizat, whose sneering comments lately have not been the height of good taste, should recognise the damage she is doing to the Umno brand, and to the Government as a whole. She could get out of the way.

Pakatan Rakyat has grabbed onto this issue with all its might, because it has so little substance with which to go to war in GE13. No conviction of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (his mouth appears to be his greatest danger now), no common manifesto, no serious policy proposals, no Shadow Cabinet, nothing.

Whatever the truth of the allegations against her, Shahrizat is a target for an Opposition that has so few.

In response to this, she insults Rafizi Ramli, PKR's strategy director and her chief interlocutor, the man who has personally driven this story in Opposition media. He looks like a statesman with level replies. She makes jokes, and offers vicious comebacks. Few in Umno race to her defence. The walls close in on her, and she has no way out. A statesman would know to bow out gracefully.

The problem seems to be that Sharizat sees this as a battle that is all about her, and not about larger issues of transparency, accountability, and a looming general election.

She is proving a distraction.

We reluctantly but respectfully call on Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to step down, as soon as possible.

I want the BN to win big in the next PRU, perhaps it is time that YAB PM Najib Razak show some leadership here, the decisive kind please.

A BN Gomen stands for progress and more jobs, Pakatan's will be full of demagogues

I just love this article by thechoice.com.my:
Lynas Go-Ahead is Politically and Commercially Astute

An election is looming but the government isn't following the script. One of the golden rules for incumbent parties in the months before going to the polls is don't do anything controversial. The decision to go ahead with the Lynas rare earth processing plant in Kuantan is therefore a brave move by the government.

But it is a risk worth taking for Malaysia. The RM 714 million investment by Australian mining company Lynas has the potential to earn RM5 billion a year, creating hundreds of jobs directly and thousands of jobs indirectly. The process is controversial because a by-product of extracting rare earth elements is a small amount of low-level radioactive material. Given the emotions that surround this subject, opponents of the plant have seized on the word "radioactive" but forgotten the qualifying words "low level".

Over the past year the Government has set out to address safety concerns and to be transparent about the Lynas venture. It offered the world's foremost authority on nuclear matters, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), free reign to assess the safety of the project and vowed to abide by its findings. The IAEA was spawned by the United Nations more than half a century ago and its reputation for independence and scientific rigour is beyond question and above national governments. The notion that business or political interests in any country can sway its findings is unthinkable.

In the spirit of bipartisanship the government also invited opposition MPs to meet the IAEA and representatives from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Dato Ambiga Sreenevasan even brought along her own handpicked scientific experts to give her (yet another) independent opinion. What happened next speaks volumes about the negativity, damaging populism and anti-business sentiment that permeates the opposition.

The IAEA gave the project the green light on June 29 last year and when it did so Ambiga not only rejected the Atomic Commission's findings but also those of her own hand-picked scientific observers, who had read the conclusions and agreed with them.

The other vocal opponent, PKR National Vice President and Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh, also rejected the 57-page report outright, accusing the IAEA of glossing over the facts. For a body with the reputation of the IAEA that's not only insulting but borderline libellous. (See also The Iconoclast)

Following the granting of the operating licence this week by our own Atomic Energy Licensing Board (based on the findings of the IAEA) Pakatan Rakyat is now sending out mixed signals. Some MPs such as Fuziah say they will shut down the plant once elected to government. Unsurprisingly, this is not part of the Pakatan manifesto – they don't have one. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been asked for his view and is so far silent on the topic, choosing instead to take lunch with the foreign media.

Any notion of closing the Lynas plant is as foolish as it is unworkable. The Lynas operation will be in full production my mid-year. Closing it would mean taxpayers funding a huge compensation package for the company, which signed a deal in good faith with the Malaysian government almost four years ago.

Such talk also damages Pakatan's business credentials ahead of GE13 and raises the question: would a Pakatan government be prepared to take the tough decisions that boost our economy and help take us to developed nations status by 2020? Many doubts remain.

The decision to go ahead with the plant is the right one. Aside from the revenue prospects from the plant, it will help break China's monopoly on some of the worlds' most important rare earth elements used in mobile phones and plasma televisions. What would happen to Malaysian jobs in the electronics sector if China suddenly increased prices? Aside from this foreign investors are watching Malaysia carefully and asking if we are serious about business. Amid all the global economic uncertainty in 2012 the answer to that question must remain yes.

Read the full article here.

Eat your hearts out Stop-Lynas people, speak now or forever hold your peace, this blessed country is on its way to Vision 2020 and no amount of politically motivated fear mongering by the Pakatan inspired Anti/Stop Lynas group will hold this country down.

1. Politicians are elected to Parliament to represent their constituent to debate issues rationally and with dignity.
2. Politicians are elected to Parliament not to sow fear in their constituents.
3. If Parliamentarians prefer to demo and strike fear in their constituents and refuse to listen to neutral experts then its time for them to go as they have become demagogues, they do not benefit the people they serve any longer.

definition of demagogue:  leaders who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power. 

Another speculation on the Anwar acquittal

One of the more interesting speculation on the Anwar sodomy acquittal from Loyarburok.com here:

"In law, an accused who either remains silent or gives evidence from the dock basically has not given substantive primary evidence in defence of the charge against him. The courts have previously held that when an accused remains silent or gives evidence from the dock – which is equivalent to remaining silent – the court must in all likelihood convict him of the charge. Only when the accused puts into play evidence on oath, which can be cross examined for its truth or falsity will there be substantive evidence for the court to evaluate whether or not he is guilty or innocent"

excerpts Lord Bobo

"The prosecution presented its case. The judge then had to decide whether the prosecution case was strong enough to call for the defense to answer the charge. The judge decided that this was the case, and called for the defence. Anwar remained silent. The judge then decided to acquit him."

excerpts Lord Bobo

Read more of this very interesting piece here.

Me? I am still waiting to see the written judgement to explain the acquittal.

Malaysians living and working abroad and don't pay tax should not be allowed to vote

Something brewing, I am sure the DAP,PAS and PKR and the Pakatan centric NGOs will be up in arms over this one:

I totally and absolutely agree with Dr. Chua, why the hell should anybody who left this blessed country to find fortune in an alien country be allowed to vote and determine how I should live in my own country, this goes especially to people who do not pay taxes to the Government of Malaysia.

Ibrahim Ali expressed regret to the white envelope faux pas, lets move on already

“I must say our success as a nation depends on the willingness of the moderates, from all religions and cultures, to set aside their differences and work for a common goal in perpetuating peace, harmony and prosperity,”

DPM Malaysia Muhyiddin Yassin

“Perkasa tiada niat langsung mengguris sensitiviti masyarakat Tionghua, kami ikhlas membelanjakan duit meraikan perayaan Tahun Baru Cina,”

Ibrahim Ali, Source here.

The white enveloped Ang Pow faux pas by Ibrahim Ali at a PERKASA CNY function recently had

rightly drawn much criticism from many quarters especially from the Chinese community, but I think some of the criticism is over the top bordering on hysteria to the extent of calling it kurang ajar, some like the DAP will try to make a mountain out of the isolated incident and as usual used it to the fullest for maximum political support read here, by the way the DAP need not sweat too much to kill the MCA as the Chinese support for the DAP is at an all time high, DAP need just to deliver on its promises. Wouldn't it be a lot better to engage Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa and tell them that this is not the right way instead of lambasting and dragging the MCA and the Prime Minister into what is an isolated incident, instead?

I am not defending Ibrahim Ali's action, but I strongly believe he is genuine in giving out the Ang Pow to the Chinese folks who came for the CNY function organised by PERKASA there is no Agenda to "hina" the folks who were invited for makan-makan at the function I am sure of that. Anyway Ibrahim Ali had expressed regret over his actions which many of his political critiques especially the DAP would never do under any circumstances:

Perkasa expresses regret over 'white' ang pow incident 

February 1: PETALING JAYA: Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali has expressed regret over the inadvertent distribution of "white" ang pow during its Chinese New Year open house, saying such mistakes could have been avoided if they had known it to be taboo among the Chinese.

He said Perkasa agreed with MCA Youth that it was pertinent to understand the sensitivities of various cultures.

"Now that we understand the sensitivities, we will not repeat the same mistake," he said Wednesday in response to criticism from various quarters against Perkasa for distributing money in white envelopes on Sunday.

Ibrahim also expressed regret that none of the Chinese guests and members of the media who were present that day had alerted Perkasa leaders that it was a taboo to give "white" ang pow during festive occasion.

He said Perkasa also took note of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's comment on the matter.

"It is a lesson for Perkasa to be more careful not to touch on the sensitivities of other races.

"And we also expect others to respect the sensitivities of the Muslims and Malays," he added.

There folks, happy now? 

The good thing is many lessons on cultural sensitivities of the Chinese Community can be learnt from this episode. 

However, we must also remember that this blessed country is home for many other races and religions too and we should also draw lessons of moderation from them especially when reacting to so called violations of sensitive issues like the throwing of pig heads in mosques and suraus all over the country etc. etc. Moderation is the key to our success as a nation. Let us keep it that way please.

Of Ghadafi, Israel,the US, Iran, Gold, Oil and China and India

War clouds are looming over the Middle East like never before. The EU and USA will start serious sanctions against Iran soon, Israel's Netanyahu and his extremists Government will be smiling from ear to ear. A war in Iran will probably spike Petroleum prices so high the world economy will be severely affected, the casualties will not only be those innocent civilians men, women and children in the Middle East killed by bullets and bombs but people all over the world will be affected financially and economically too.

I found this article through  http://www.veteranstoday.com by SARTRE dated 29 January 2012 which is worth sharing and I am reproducing it in full without permission, its a damned good write on the goings on in the Middle East especially with Iran:

Iran, Gold and Oil - The Next Banksters War

Remember the real reason why Muammar Gadhafi is dead. He dared to propose and started creating an alternative currency to the world reserve U.S. Dollar. The lesson learned in Libya is now ready for teaching in Iran. Forget all the noise about going nuclear, the true message is that the banksters rule and nation states serve their ultimate masters. The hype and disinformation that surrounds the push for war is best understood by examining the viewpoint of Iranian MP Kazem Jalali. The Tehran Times quotes him in saying, "The European Union must be aware that it can never compel the Islamic Republic to succumb to their will and undermine the Iranian nation’s determination to achieve glory and independence, access modern technologies, and safeguard its rights, through the intensification of the pressure." "The European Union is seeking to politicize the atmosphere ahead of nuclear talks with Iran and is aware that sanctions on Iran’s oil exports cannot be implemented since the world is not limited to a number of European countries" Many political commentators warn that an embargo is an act or war. Chris Floyd provides this observation of the recent oil embargo against Iran. "This week, the warlords of the West took yet another step toward their long-desired war against Iran. (Open war, that is; their covert war has been going on for decades -- via subversion, terrorism, and proxies like Saddam Hussein.) On Monday, the European Union obediently followed the dictates of its Washington masters by agreeing to impose an embargo on Iranian oil. The embargo bans all new oil contracts with Iran, and cuts off all existing deals after July. The embargo is accompanied by a freeze on all European assets of the Iranian central bank. In imposing these draconian measures on a country which is not at war with any nation, which has not invaded or attacked another nation in centuries, and which is developing a nuclear energy program that is not only entirely legal under international law but is also subject to the most stringent international inspection regime ever seen, the EU is "targeting the economic lifeline of the regime," as one of its diplomats put it, with admirable candor." The most important aspect of the Iranian response lies in the way that changes oil settlement for delivery and the futile effect of the US/Anglo/EU imperialist dictates have in the marketplace. Debkafile reports that India (and probably China) will pay for Iranian oil in gold. "India and China take about one million barrels per day, or 40 percent of Iran's total exports of 2.5 million bpd. Both are superpowers in terms of gold assets. By trading in gold, New Delhi and Beijing enable Tehran to bypass the upcoming freeze on its central bank's assets and the oil embargo which the European Union's foreign ministers agreed to impose Monday, Jan. 23. The EU currently buys around 20 percent of Iran's oil exports. A more detailed analysis in Tehran Pushes to Ditch the US Dollar provided ample arguments that an embargo will fail. "Iran may be isolated from the United States and Western Europe, but Tehran still has some pretty staunch allies. Iran and Venezuela are advancing $4 billion worth of joint projects, including a bank. India has pledged to continue buying Iranian oil because Tehran has been a great business partner for New Delhi, which struggles to make its payments. Greece opposed the EU sanctions because Iran was one of very few suppliers that had been letting the bankrupt Greeks buy oil on credit. South Korea and Japan are pleading for exemptions from the coming embargoes because they rely on Iranian oil. Economic ties between Russia and Iran are getting stronger every year. Then there's China. Iran's energy resources are a matter of national security for China, as Iran already supplies no less than 15% of China's oil and natural gas. That makes Iran more important to China than Saudi Arabia is to the United States. Don't expect China to heed the US and EU sanctions much – China will find a way around the sanctions in order to protect two-way trade between the nations, which currently stands at $30 billion and is expected to hit $50 billion in 2015. In fact, China will probably gain from the US and EU sanctions on Iran, as it will be able to buy oil and gas from Iran at depressed prices." So why is the EU so determined to apply restrictions is answered in the video, Why does the EU join in sanctions against Iran? Now that is part of the reason but for the entire story, one needs to confront the contentions in the You Tube Israel pulling the strings for war with Iran. Where is gets so confusing for the casual observer is that any discussion that deems to be critical of Israel is a taboo discussion in polite company. Well, when it comes to addressing the impending prospects of a major conflict in the Middle East, the linkage between the deciding influences in American policy that coincide with a greater Israel objective, is silenced in the old-line press and media. Therefore, the key element to explore is the relationship of Zionist interests with the fundamental preservation of the paper currency imperium of Federal Reserve notes as the medium of payment for oil. Think about this equation in light of ultimate control. Oil is the fuel that runs the engine of all economies. Money is the medium of exchange that pays for the petroleum. War is the universal method used to avoid the breakdown of the money recycling system. In The Petro-Dollar and the EURO, the nature of this formula is probed. "War is always about achieving a political end. Even holy wars seek to impose a secular control over the vanquished. At the root of every political conflict, lies the MONEY component. On the scale of greed or fear, international discords can slide up or down. Depending on the circumstances or demands, governments rally domestic populations to accept their foreign interventionist goals. Claims of altruistic liberation are fictitious, when the rhetoric is stripped away and the real substance is exposed. Notwithstanding, variances of emphasis; the motive of money underpins the movements of all military confrontations." Who can deny that the interest of the Israeli state advances under the Petro-Dollar system for oil payment? The prospect of allowing an oil exporter to do business paid in gold disrupts the balances that maintain an uneasy political rapprochement. Even more threatening to the globalist monopoly is a defiant regime like the Islamic Republic playing by different rules that bypass central banking approval. It seems that the NeoCon Christian Zionists will never be happy until they institute a techno drone bombing campaign to shut off even more oil resources. With Iraqi and Libyan production in shambles, it is now time to eliminate the Iranian resource. Spiking oil to $200 or more through another foreign intervention just hikes the balance sheets of the oil traders and banking interests. There is no doubt that foreign aid to Israel will rise at even a higher amount. The bonus is that the gold hordes of Iran would become the spoils of war and conveniently find their way into the storage vaults of the banksters. This is a sweet game as long as there is a continuous supply of gung ho mercenaries to push the button of terror from the skies. Moreover, sending boots on the ground serve an even more profitable hellhole, the War Party can demand a much higher budget, floated with even more debt bought by China with the proceeds from the oil supply that are secured from the export of Canadian shale oil. Miraculously, this pattern builds an even larger, if not, greater empire. As long as new villains are found to master, the Iran’s of the world will become subjugated under the background music of God Bless America. What fools our fellow citizens became somewhere in the last century. Remember the John D. Rockefeller quote: "Competition is a sin", especially if IRAN is the player. Body bags are made from petroleum base material. In the height of irony, the oil wars are fought to secure the substance to form the burial cloth for disposable soldiers. If America really wants to stand behind the troops, their genuine duty is to prevent and oppose the next Middle East war. Iran is not an existential threat to the United States. Haaretz reports that former Mossad chief Meir Dagan said in a television interview, "If Israel attacks Iran, it will be dragged into a regional war". According to Dagan, Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas will respond with massive rocket attacks on Israel. In that scenario, Syria may join in the fray, Dagan said on the television program "Uvda". Dagan added that such a war would take a heavy toll in terms of loss of life and would paralyze life in Israel." An America First foreign policy cannot wage another banksters war. SARTRE – January 29, 2012 Discuss or comment about this essay on the BATR Forum “I say the war has already begun. There’s a lot of sabotage, there have been assassinations, strange things blowing up, rebellion. So there is enormous pressure being put on the Iranian regime from many directions” Jim Rickards Continue reading the full article here.