“Apparently 11 out of the 500 villagers now have cancer while 5 young adults there died from cancer in the past 2 years – rates that far exceed the national cancer incidence average by a factor of 23 times”
THE THIRD FORCE
Lim Guan Eng just shot himself in the foot.
The Penang Chief Minister told reporters outside the Penang High Court yesterday that his government would not demolish illegal buildings, structures, temple or hawker stalls set up before 2008, as long as it is not blocking traffic or affecting surrounding residents.
“We stand by our policy. We will not start demolishing all illegal structures for now.
“We will wait for the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) to give clarification (on whether it’s wrong to issue a demolition deferment letter),” he was reported by NST Online as saying.
However, health doesn’t seem to be on the Chief Minister’s priority list.
Yesterday, Dato’ Eric See-To pointed out that the illegal factory in Sungai Lembu, which is the source of all the controversy, burnt 2,000 tons of sawdust monthly through an open burning system that polluted the surrounding areas with harmful ash.
“There are many health studies that says sawdust, wood-dust and the ash from burning them is toxic to humans and may cause cancer.
“Apparently 11 out of the 500 villagers now have cancer while 5 young adults there died from cancer in the past 2 years – rates that far exceed the national cancer incidence average by a factor of 23 times,” he wrote on his FB page.
And yet, Guan Eng is hiding behind the excuse that the state government would refrain from demolishing illegal structures built before 2008 pending clarification by the MACC. Is that even a valid reason?
If indeed the state government needed clarification from the MACC or had adopted such a policy, why did it refuse to communicate this to PKR assemblywoman Norlela Arffin, who claims that she has been bringing the plight of Sungai Lembu residents to the state assembly since two years ago but was ignored?
Has the Chief Minister no sense of priority?
Is he claiming that the state government could not arrive at a decision regarding the fate of the factory for two years despite the health risks it posed to residents in the Sungai Lembu area?
Is Guan Eng not tired of whitewashing his administration’s lack of competency with silly and illogical excuses?
