NO TO NUCLEAR!

NO to NUCLEAR PLANTS!

Invigorated and justified by the 'fact' that oil and gas are getting scarce and thus expensive Malaysia despite knowing its risk and having no expertise or more correctly lack of expertise has decided to go for nuclear energy. The Minister responsible for energy declared that Malaysia will be building two nuclear powered plants which location is yet to be known.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin said the government would engage an international consultant to evaluate the location and requirement for such plants to be built. He who survived a pay cut motion in the Parliament and attracted criticism particularly from Sabah due to the lackadaisical attitude of SESB in solving power woes in the state again is inviting opposition and criticism since nuclear power is too risky though there are obvious benefits.

Time and again, Malaysians have come up with suggestions to develop more eco-friendly source of energy but the government seems not interested and usually make light of such suggestions. Perhaps they are drawn back by the initial cost but every initiative or venture usually requires higher cost in the beginning especially if it is eco-friendly but in the long run it is cheaper and most importantly it is safer not only to the environment but all living organisms as well.

If they are bent on their so called austerity drive then what about some costly yet lowly beneficial projects like the proposed renovation of Seri Perdana, the 100 storey Wawasan Tower and many more projects which are least beneficial to the majority of the mass. The hazard of having such plants though they may be located far away from residential areas, is greater as what had happened to Chernobyl more than two decades ago. Only after 24 years, the Ukranian government dares to reopens Chernobyl to human populations.

Being the Safe Deposit of the ruling coalition gives me the jitters since they might be thinking of building the plants here since the state is sparsely inhabited as compared to the Peninsular and of course by virtue of their label of the state as being their fixed deposit. Being the fixed deposit does not means that the state is their favourite but rather they are able to do whatever they please since in their twisted mind, the people in the state will adhere whatever they tell them.

I am not insinuating anything but being the poorest state in the nation after years of achieving independance must certainly adds to strengthen my point that they will do whatever they feel like to do. Fortunately, their plan to build coal powered plant in state has so far not materialised because of some oppositions from the people.

These groups of people are our only hope that both the coal and nuclear powered plants will not be built on our soil and in fact any so called developments which endanger every single life in Sabah.