Press Statement by DAP Secretary-General and MP for Bagan Lim Guan Eng in Kuala Lumpur on 31.3.2012
After maintaining a long and inert silence, the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) has finally issued a statement of clarification to rubbish claims that the Bosch solar panel plant in Batu Kawan, Penang would produce radioactive materials.
In a statement reported by the media yesterday, the AELB pointed out that such plants “do not generally produce or emit radioactive material and so are not subject to the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984”.
On March 21, pro-BN blog The Mole had quoted AELB director-general Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan as saying that the Bosch plant “will produce radioactive material” and would therefore need licence from the regulator.
The AELB has now refuted this by saying that “the article in The Mole which refers to the AELB director-general’s statement on the solar panel project in Penang is not so accurate and has caused confusion among some parties”.
The AELB then added that “if the plant does not use or produce any radioactive material, the company does not have to get a licence from AELB to operate.”
This issue has been twisted and politicised by certain pro-BN media and pro-BN politicians especially in Penang in an effort to divert attention away from the BN’s problems, particularly in the Lynas issue.
How can anyone claim that solar energy produces radioactive energy, when any primary student knows it produces electromagnetic and not radioactive energy?
Unfortunately, these irresponsible claims may have done irreparable damage to efforts to attract foreign investments, not to mention tarring the credibility of our scientific institutions, including the AELB as well as violating the sacred principle of truthful reporting.
We regret that it has taken so long for such a basic clarification to emerge from the AELB. This unreasonable delay has caused harm to their reputation as an independent professional body as well as a competent regulatory institution. The AELB must therefore act fast to restore its reputation by lodging a report with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) against these websites that have deliberately twisted and misrepresented their director-general’s statement.
An MCMC report must be lodged in order to restore the truth, repair the credibility of our scientific institutions and renew the confidence of foreign investors that have now been severely affected by the irresponsible and misleading reports where black has become white and white has become black.
BN’s desperate attempts to undermine the Penang PR state government and my leadership should not come at the cost of adversely affecting the future of our country. There is no point asking for an apology from The Mole as they do not believe in truthful reporting, but the real question is whether the AELB and MCMC is willing uphold their reputation for scientific truth and truthful reporting?
Lim Guan Eng
—-Mandarin Version—-
民主行动党秘书长及峇眼国会议员林冠英于2012年3月31日在吉隆坡发表声明：
原子能执照局有必要向多媒体委员会投报，以还原真相、重建科学机构的诚信及重夺外资对大马的信心。
经过一段时间的沉默之后，原子能执照局终于发出文告，澄清一些胡说八道的指控，指德国博世集团在槟城峇都交湾的太阳能光板厂房将产生辐射物。
根据昨日媒体报导的该篇文告，原子能执照局指出此类工厂并不会制造或放射任何含辐射物质，所以并没有纳入在1984年原子能执照法令中。
亲国阵部落格The Mole在3月21日引述原子能执照局总监拉惹阿都阿兹拉惹阿南的话，表示博世将会生产辐射物质，因此将需要向该局申请执照。
今天，原子能执照局反驳说，The Mole在文章中所引述其总监针对槟州太阳能光板的谈话 不太正确，并且引起了一些人士的混淆。
原子能执照局也说，“如果有关工厂不会生产任何辐射性物质，有关公司就无需获得原子能执照局的批准。”
这个课题已经被亲国阵媒体和亲国阵政治人物扭曲及政治化，以转移人们对国阵问题的关注视线，特别是莱纳斯课题。就连小学生都知道太阳能光板生产电磁能，而不是辐射电能，怎么还会有人说太阳能生产辐射能？
不幸地是，上述不负责任的声明已经破坏了招商引资的努力，更别说破坏了我国科研机构的公信力，包括原子能执照局，也违背了真实报道的原则。
我们感到遗憾，原子能执照局过了那么久才澄清如此基本的事实。这种无没理由的耽误已经损坏了他们做为一个独立、专业、有能力的立法机构的名誉。原子能执照局必须立刻向马来西亚通讯及多媒体委员会投报上述网站扭曲及错误诠释总监文告的行为，恢复它们的名誉。
原子能执照局有必要向多媒体委员会投报，以还原真相、重建科学机构的诚信及重夺外资对大马的信心。他们的名誉已经遭不负责任、具误导性的报道破坏，是非颠倒。
国阵处心积虑地要破坏槟州民联政府及领导层，它的代价不应该是牺牲国家的未来。叫The Mole道歉也是没有用的，因为他们根本不奉行真实报告。真正的问题是，国家原子能执照局及多媒体委员会是不是愿意维护他们的名誉，捍卫科学真相及真实报道？
林冠英