MP wants debate on palm oil deal with Israel

KUALA LUMPUR: A DAP MP has demanded an emergency debate over Malaysia’s alleged palm oil export to Israel.

Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa filed the emergency motion to do so in Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia’s chambers this morning.

Er based his request on a claim which he made in the House on March 21 where he accused Felda of the Israel export.

“My speech (on that day)…was an extension of what I raised in Parliament on Oct 17.
“…several Customs documents have shown that there have been export trade transactions with companies based in Israel,” he wrote in his letter to the Speaker.

Er said that it was confusing that Malaysia would have trade relations with Israel, especially since it was helping the Palestinian cause at the same time.

He said that since Malaysia did not have any diplomatic relations with Israel, trading with the state was in violation of the Customs Prohibition of Imports/Export Order 2008.

Last Wednesday, Er accused Felda of exporting palm oil to Israel. This claim was vehemently denied by Barisan Nasional MPs.

(In Er’s letter to the Speaker this morning, the DAP MP did not expressly mention Felda.)
Pasir Salak MP (Umno) Tajuddin Abdul Rahman was especially angry with Er’s implication that Felcra – of which Tajuddin is also chairman of – as being part of the Israel-palm oil deal.

Later on, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department denied that Malaysia was supplying palm oil to Israel.

Radiasi di Bukit Merah: DAP bentang usul tergempar

Satu usul tergempar akan dibentangkan di Dewan Rakyat bagi membincangkan dakwaan tahap radiasi yang berlebihan di sekitar kilang penapisan Asia Rare Earth di Bukit Merah, dan tapak pelupusan sisanya di Bukit Kledang.

Memetik bacaan daripada kumpulan anti-Lynas Selamatkan Malaysia Hentikan Lynas (SMSL), Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) berkata bacaan yang dibekalkan oleh Lembaga Perlesenan Tenaga Atom (AELB) menunjukkan angka yang bercanggahan.

Kata Fong, usulnya itu bersifat khusus, mempunyai kepentingan awam dan perlu digerakan kerana ia melibatkan kehidupan sekurang-kurangnya 10,000 penduduk.

Semalam, SMSL yang berjuang menentang loji pemprosesan nadir bumi milik Lynas di Gebeng, Kuantan, berkata bahawa kesan radiasi di kilang yang telah ditutup 18 tahun lalu, masih pada tahap berbahaya.

Ia berikutan lawatan kumpulan itu yang diketuai pengerusi SMSL Tan Bun Teet dengan ahlinya  yang lengkap dengan alat peranti bacaan radiasi.

Dakwa beliau, bacaan berhampiran tapak kilang adalah sekitar 0.19 microsievert setiap jam manakala bacaan berhampiran tapak pelupusan sisa pula berjumlah kira-kira 0.2 microsievert bagi setiap jam.

Kedua-dua bacaan, jika dihitungkan kepada bacaan asas tahunan, adalah di luar tahap selamat iaitu pada 1 milisievert setiap tahun seperti yang dinasihatkan oleh Lembaga Pelesenan Tenaga Atom (AELB), kata Tan.

DAP: PSC on Lynas ‘a sham’

GEORGE TOWN: The DAP has rejected the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on controversial Lynas rare earth processing plant as a sham committee to hoodwink the people.

DAP secretary-general and MP for Bagan Lim Guan Eng said that the party would not be part of the “sham PSC.”

He said the DAP would propose to the Pakatan Rakyat leadership not to allow BN to use the presence of opposition MPs in the PSC to legitimatise the Lynas plant.

He said Pakatan will not be part of any environmental disaster that can happen in the future.

“The committee was merely to serve to deliver a fait accompli by endorsing the Lynas plant.

“The PSC is to force a public acceptance towards Lynas without due regards for safety, environmental and health concerns,” said the Penang Chief Minister in his blog here today.

Lim said Putrajaya had confirmed that the PSC was a disguise by BN to legitimatise what is essentially wrong and against public interest.

He quoted Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who said the PSC would not decide on the fate of Lynas, it is merely an engagement process so that the project can be carried out and would not be opposed by the people or create public fear.

Lim noted that the premier has reportedly expressed hopes that the PSC could raise awareness on the project so that “we can achieve comfort in terms of better public acceptance.”

Lim said the whole PSC exercise was merely to help the project gain acceptance and to help the BN government convince Malaysians that there is no threat from the Lynas plant and its potentially hazardous radioactive waste.

‘Malaysians will not be so easily fooled’
If the PSC cannot decide on the fate of the project, he said it was a complete waste of time for DAP or Pakatan to participate as the PSC was nothing more than a fait accompli to rubberstamp approval of the plant.

He criticised the BN government for valuing profits above all in awarding Lynas a 12-year tax holiday at the expense of public health, especially in Kuantan.

“Malaysians will not be so easily fooled by BN. We demand an answer to the real issue at hand,” said Lim, adding that until today, there was uncertainty over where the radioactive waste will be stored.

Initially, he said the Atomic Energy Licensing Board or AELB has claimed that Lynas Corporation would be required to return any radioactive waste to Australia if it fails to set-up a suitable permanent disposable facility here.

But the proposal has been rejected by Australia. The AELB then said that the radioactive waste may be stored in abandoned tin mines in Sungai Lembing.

“This clearly reinforces the fact that the wastes would be disposed in Malaysian soil.

He said his Penang government would reject any Lynas plant or nuclear reactors in Penang and would not compromise on public health and safety.

“DAP will suggest for Pakatan not to participate in the PSC as we should not be used as tools in the BN’s bid to fool the people and to justify the setting up of the Lynas rare earth plant,” he said.

DAP dakwa pengarah NFC keluarkan wang RM12 juta

DAP hari ini mendakwa, pengarah National Feedlot Corporation telah memindahkan dana berjumlah RM12 juta daripada pinjaman mudah kerajaan melalui satu syarikat berpangkalan di Singapura.

Pengarah publisiti DAP, Tony Pua mendakwa, pengarah berkenaan telah mengeluarkan wang tersebut secara terus melalui sebuah syarikat yang dinamakannya Global Biofuture Pte Ltd.

Beliau mendakwa demikian berdasarkan rekod audit yang menunjukkan bahawa syarikat tersebut telah berhutang syarikat yang mempunyai kaitan Global Biofuture.

"Akaun yang diaudit menyatakan bahawa Global Biofuture berhutang sebanyak SGD7,935,877 (RM19.1 juta) kepada syarikat lain yang berkaitan dengan pengarah syarikat tersebut.

"Oleh itu kami mempunyai alasan yang kuat untuk percaya bahawa Global Biofuture merupakan sebahagian daripada kumpulan syarikat keluarga Shahrizat," katanya lagi dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.

Pua mendakwa pengarah syarikat berkenaan merupakan anggota keluarga kepada menteri kabinet Malaysia, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Tiga orang pengarah syarikat tersebut merupakan suami Shahrizat – Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail serta dua orang anak mereka – Wan Shahinur Izran dan juga Wan Izzana Fatimah Zabedah.

Kesemua mereka, kecuali Wan Izzana, memegang 60,000 saham setiap seorang. Seorang lagi anak mereka Shahrizat, Wan Shahinur Izmir, juga memegang 60,000 saham syarikat tersebut, dakwa Pua.

Syarikat berkenaan, termasuk National Meat and Livestock Sdn Bhd, Real Food Company Sdn Bhd dan Meatworks (Singapore) Pte Ltd, kesemuanya mendapat sumber dana daripada pinjaman RM250 juta daripada kerajaan Malaysia, dakwa Pua lagi.

"Pemindahan wang kepada pengarah tertentu jelas merupakan jenayah pecah amanah dan penyalahgunaan wang awam...

"Peguam Negara seharusnya tidak teragak-agak untuk mendakwa pengarah NFC untuk penyalahgunaan yang amat jelas ini," katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.