Today’s gathering of some 15000 people in Kuantan was probably the biggest environmental protest in Malaysian history.
At the very least, it would be comparable to the Bukit Merah protests in 1987-88. At the height of those protests, during court proceedings in 1988, some 10000-15000 turned up to show their opposition to the Asian Rare Earth plant, recalls Dr T Jayabalan, who has been involved in the field at both Bukit Merah and Gebeng, Kuantan.
But unlike Bukit Merah, the ethnic composition of the crowd in Kuantan this morning was much more diverse, coming from a broader cross-section of society. And unlike Bukit Merah, the protest drew in people from outside Kuantan. And this time around, there were other protesters in spirit: thousands of netizens on Twitter and Facebook expressed their solidarity with those in Kuantan this morning.
At the rally this morning, Anwar addressed the crowd and promised to cancel Lynas’ plant if Pakatan Rakyat won federal power – a pledge that must be kept.
The gathering this morning could mark the beginning of a new green movement. In this watershed year of 2012, Malaysians, it would seem, are moving up to a higher plane of environmental consciousness.
Himpunan Hijau also reminds us we must be more discerning in our choice of investments. Not all FDI is good for the country. We have to opt for a more sustainable development model that puts people before profits.
you dissect this twit from the good-in-bedroom leader of MCA-”if experts dont know well enough rare earth, how could opposition know better”
let me put it to you, MCA. If experts dont know rare earth well, how confident will our local authorities be in guaranteeing safety of the product and plant? if experts dont know well, then we can conclude AELB dont too. if they dont know the product well enough, do they have the competency to issue a certificate of safety?
btw, didnt AELB gave a clean bill of health for Asia Rare Earth? what happened, MCA?
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Bravo to all the protesters !!!
How can our 1CareMalaysia not caring for its own people at all, how can ???
1CareMalaysia only care for their own profits at the expense of the Rakyat’s health !!!
Lynas Plant is a strict NO NO NO !!!
Vote out BN to stop Lynas plant.
Save the earth, save the people !!! ABUby all means !!!
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Now it has proven. All about Lynas is just drama staged by Pakatan. Here is the proof:
Nuke expert: Lynas plant is safe (http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/nuke-expert-lynas-plant-is-safe-1.51982)
Scientific evidence shows Gebeng plant harmless (http://www.nst.com.my/top-news/scientific-evidence-shows-gebeng-plant-harmless-1.52165)
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scientific evidence also showed tanah merah plant was safe.
guess you have been there often and radiation must have got into your head. it shows in your commentary.
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Haha, good one, mmc. That’s not the only thing that’s got into his brain. Hint: Indah Water.
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If a stadium in Trengganu can collapse, how much confidence you can have for the Lynas processing plant?
Probability is low but the severity is high!!!!
Don’t gamble on our health!
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[...] Article original: Himpunan Hijau 2.0: New environmental consciousness blossoms [...]
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