THE Dewan Rakyat sitting was anything but mundane last week as MPs engaged in intense debate over the Lynas rare earth plant and the Supplementary Supply Bill.
While the issues saw YBs from both sides of the Dewan at loggerheads over facts and figures, they were in unison in their criticism against certain issues.
Last week’s meetings saw the passage of the much-anticipated Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) report on the Lynas Advanced Material Plant (LAMP) and the committee gave the nod for the company to be awarded a temporary operating licence (TOL) on the grounds that it had met all the requirements.
The report put forward 31 recommendations, including for the TOL to be issued to enable the plant to process raw materials in stages while being monitored by enforcement agencies.
Barisan Nasional MPs went on the defensive when debating the report, saying the findings were all based on expert opinion and scientific findings, but the Opposition took the offensive stance, questioning if the PSC was set up only to endorse the project.
Tian Chua (PKR-Batu) hit out at the committee, claiming it had not revealed the risks that came with allowing Lynas to operate in Gebeng.
He said the project should only go ahead after data was presented to therakyat and was whole-heartedly supported because of the investment and money it would bring.
“When the people support it, they are ready to take the risks. They should not support something without knowing the risks,” he said.
Barisan and Pakatan Rakyat MPs were busy arguing about the committee and its findings when Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (PAS - Hulu Langat) stood to speak on the matter.
The Opposition MPs fell silent when the nuclear scientist gave his view that went against the opinion of his Pakatan team.
“I would like to explain that as a nuclear scientist, I maintain that the external radiation (of the rare earth) is low. However, views on other matters such as management of residue, I leave it to other experts as it is not my area of expertise,” he said.
While Dr Che Rosli’s colleagues went quiet, Barisan MPs took a swipe at their political opponents, saying they should follow Dr Che Rosli’s example by not criticising the project for the sake of condemning it.
The House also heard debates on the Supplementary Supply Bill, where Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim asked the Government to explain the need to seek an additional RM13.79bil in allocation that would create a higher deficit.
He said the money sought was for non-stimulus investments and would only cause the deficit to swell, adding that Malaysia’s deficit was continuously on the rise.
“We need to know why there is a Supplementary Supply Bill. Is it because the Economic Planning Unit, Treasury and Bank Negara have not been making the right projections, resulting in the Government having to ask for additional budget at every (parliament) meeting?
“The Prime Minister has voiced his commitment to reducing the deficit but what we see happening now is the opposite,” he said.
Responding to Anwar’s claims, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussein said the additional allocation would not cause the deficit to rise higher than the 4.7% projected because of the extra revenue the economy was generating.
He also refuted Anwar’s claims that the present administration had continually asked for additional financial allocations from the House, adding that between 1990 and 1995, four extra allocations were sought annually.
Awang Adek said this was compared to the two supplementary supply bills tabled by the Government, including one tabled in April which was meant for last year’s expenditure. “It is not right to say that the current administration keeps asking for extra money.
“The Government is seeking an additional budget of RM7bil for fuel subsidy because when we presented Budget 2012, oil was at US$110 (RM351) per barrel but between January and May, the price went up to US$126 (RM402),” he said.
He also said that RM400mil was sought to pay expressway concessionaries following the abolition of toll on certain stretches that were not increased as per some agreements.
Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) brought the House’s attention to a report in The Star about gambling websites that were luring punters, including teenagers and students, saying this was a serious problem and that measures should be taken immediately to prevent the young from getting involved in gambling.
“Millions of ringgit are allocated to ensure more Malaysians enjoy broadband services but this is not the result we want.
“I hope the Home Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission will look into this matter urgently. We must not allow children to take up the (gambling) habit,” he said, holding up a copy of the newspaper.
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