Malaysiakini Your Say | Jun 2, 11

‘We sometimes marvel at how parents in some Asean countries are willing to sell their daughters into prostitution in return for a few dollars. Now we know.’

Panel: Waste won’t be 100% radiation-free

Swipenter: “It is not easy to do a study on the impact of health from a rare earth plant as it requires a large number of samples and a long duration of study to demonstrate statistically significant results.”

The rare plant in Bukit Merah is not proof or good enough to show the negative effects on health on a long-term basis? This panel is just a eyewash – they cannot even name one safe rare earth plant anywhere in the world.

Horror of all horrors, they do not even have a long-term management plan for the disposal/storage of the radioactive waste.

Now we can guess intelligently why the Australians are up in arms over having such a facility built in their own backyard. These Lynas guys and BN politicians are gambling with our children’s future, which our children will pay with their health or lives.

Josephine: As a developing country, do we have the right calibre of experts and regulators to ensure Lynas plant is operating safely? It is clear that at this point, Lynas has not yet given a comprehensive plan on how to dispose of the radioactive wastes.

What if Lynas is not able to find a commercially viable way to recycle the wastes? Will Lynas close shop then or will they build more underground storage?

It is laughable that the Malaysian authorities allow this to proceed. We want FDIs (foreign direct investments), yes. It is like someone coming to me with a generous offer to build a toilet in my house for free. But the waste will not be properly disposed just stored underground. After some time, the stench becomes unbearable just like what this Lynas plant is going to become.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is not able to give example of a safe rare earth processing plant, but examples of unsafe rare earth plants are ample, from the now defunct Asian Rare Earth plant in Bukit Merah to those in China.

The Malaysian government, for the inducement of a few FDI dollars, is willing to pawn the future of Malaysians, particularly those in Pahang.

We sometimes marvel at how parents in some Asean countries are willing to sell their daughters into prostitution in return for a few dollars. Now it seems, our ‘People First’ government is no better.

Sathish Ramachandran: Why was this study/panel report not ordered before Lynas was allowed to set up here? Shouldn’t the impact assessment from all angles be considered first to determine if we as a nation are endangered before agreeing to allow this into the country?

What kind of irresponsible government do we have running the show? This is certainly not a ‘Rakyat Didahulukan’ government.

Chi Ted Fatt: Why doesn’t the Malaysian Medical Association’s (MMA) ask simple questions that everybody can understand? Such as:

1) Is there any possibility that the waste produced by the plant will affect the residents’ health?

2) Would you recommend such a plant in your own country?

3) Would such a plant be approved in your own country?

My Secret: Malaysians, you, your children and future generations are being sold by the same people who are supposed to serve and protect you. At the end of the day, guess whose children will benefit from this and will be sitting comfortably in Australia watching the potential catastrophe unfolds in Malaysia?

They might even donate some monies to those affected ‘Kuantan locals’. Our children will pay dearly for this. It’s just a matter of time that such a thing happens if we ever allow this killer plant to start its operations here.

Another lonely and painful death

Anak Pinang: The plight of women is not getting better in Malaysia, even with more women in tertiary education. The prevailing thinking, even among some quarters of educated married women, is that they are subservient to their husbands’ position and many defer to male ‘dominance’ in marriage.

S Pakiam’s death from alleged torture and abuse is a tragedy. There are many others out there still finding the courage to walk away. As humans, if we see domestic violence, it is our duty report it even if the police are lackadaisical about enforcing the law.

It’s only through consistent pressure and awareness that we can change the mindset of society and give women (and abused men) the strength to walk away, not only for their happiness but theirs and their children’s lives.

There is no excuse for torturing another vulnerable being. When will society and the enforcement agencies develop a conscience for and courage to respond to this silent crime?

Pemerhati: It was horrifying to read that the young lady who died had ‘many wounds on her limbs, cigarette burns on her torso, her head was swollen, some of her teeth were missing and a thumbnail had been torn away.’

What is even more shocking and horrifying is that the police have refused to carry out an investigation of this heinous crime despite having received five reports. The obstructive and uncaring attitude of the Serdang Hospital and the director-general is equally shocking and horrifying.

It is shocking to find that all these police and medical personnel, who are paid by the taxpayers to protect and look after the security and health of the citizens, not only openly display their uncaring and callous behaviour, they also do not do what they are paid to do.

If this B James is being protected by the same people who protected the killers of A Kugan, Teoh Beng Hock and Altantuya Shaariibuu, then there is very little hope that justice would be done as long as BN is in power.

David Dass: Wife and child abuse is a serious problem. Our welfare agencies should be vigilant. They should also be more ethnically diverse to ensure better understanding of cultural norms of different communities.

The police should also be more sensitised to the problem. School teachers should also be on the lookout. Too often the police and welfare agencies dismiss reports as domestic problems to be resolved by family members.

There is, of course, the unfortunate correlation between socio-economic circumstances and the incidence of the problem. This would mean that the common causes of domestic discord being shortage of money and pressure of confined spaces cannot be easily resolved.

For Indians, there is also the problem of excessive drinking. Safe houses should be set up in convenient locations. Education too is important.

Anonymous_ABG: It’s really sad to note the standard of the medical profession has gone down the gutter. It appears medical reports could be obtained according to the wishes of interested parties by hiding the truth. The quality of our police force has also gone to the gutters. It is the duty of the police to investigate when a report is lodged without fear or favour.

Tuah PJ: This reminds me of an incident where a physically abused woman filed for divorce and the Syariah Court awarded custody of the children to her ex-husband because he was a Malay/Muslim and she was a convert.

When subsequently the award was overturned in her favour, the ex-husband took away and hid the son in his new wife’s mother’s home. When she finally located him, she could not go near her son as the ex-husband became violent.

When she sought assistance from the local police, they refused to assist her and told her that she has to endeavour to take her son on her own and that only if she is beaten up, can she seek assistance from the police.

I think the police will only react after she is beaten to death. Apparently, that is the law; the police can only intervene if there is physical evidence of violence. What a joke our laws are.

Anak Bangsa Malaysia: The police have no time to investigate the unimportant death of one unimportant Indian woman… they are too busy with far more important things like camping around ceramah venues waiting to arrest Anwar Ibrahim’s armed and dangerous microphones, providing the ‘only copy’ of the Datuk T fabricated sex video for distribution to the public and abetting PM Najib Razak’s illegal coup d’etat in Perak.