To be frank, I do not see any win-win prospect in it.
To be in a win-win situation, we have to get Malaysians to accept this project, and at the same time investments on the project are not affected.
In the end, there is only one party that will win. The rare earth plant is a sure bid, and the people are made to swallow it in resignation.
If anyone were to be the eventual winner in this game, it has to be Lynas, and probably a handful of other people with vested interests.
The losers are most definitely the innocent members of the public, as well as the government which in theory represents the people of this country.
"It is almost impossible to get the public to accept the project now, as both sides are drifting further and further apart.
From the thousands attending the Green Rally 1.0 to the tens of thousands showing up at the Green Rally 2.0, the voice against Lynas has swelled in intensity as environment awareness gains momentum.
It has transcended the scopes of a local issue to become a truly national consensus.
While the BN government wants to force acceptance into the public, it continues to nestle comfortably in its old ways of thinking, no new ideas or actions.
Sure enough the authorities can keep convincing the public with probably a little help from some PR tactics to illustrate the safety of this project.
The so-called "safety" could be a very subjective thing. Different scientists can have very different ways of defining the safety of rare earth processing and the waste materials produced.
I don't think any radiologist can commit full assurance on this.
Moreover, perceived safety could be very different from actual safety. Any slightest form of human negligence, inadequacy of equipment as well as human-induced or natural disasters could easily tip the balance and turn the theoretical safety into real-life catastrophe.
Besides, the duration of event-free safety is also of utmost relevance. The rare earth plant is not here to stay for only three or five years, but very much longer than that.
The people are living under the perpetual shadow of psychological fears while the voice against the plant is loud and strong. This is not anything the government can neutralise with some propaganda or PR gimmicks
If the government insists that the Lynas investments must never be affected by public dissatisfaction while it is helpless in securing public acceptance, then it will have no choice but to go ahead with the project despite grassroots outcry.
As an elected government, BN should be aware of the eventuality of such a widespread backlash.
For the ultimate win-win situation, it is imperative that the government veto the Lynas project and pull the plug on all controversies to show that it is a green and forward-thinking government capable of ensuring the safety of the nation and its people. — mysinchew.com
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.
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