BARELY a month to go before the moratorium on bauxite mining ends, environmental groups have slammed Putrajaya for the lack of details on the new standard operating procedure and a public hearing on the issue.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and the Organisation for the Preservation of Natural Heritage (Peka), in a letter dated February 25, asked the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry to provide details on the new SOP so that they can review it and give feedback.

However, they have yet to get a response.

Now, the groups are not convinced that a new SOP is the solution to the environmental and health problems arising from bauxite mining.

“We are not convinced that the SOP will be the answer. We are not clear on what is the legal effect of the SOP,” SAM honorary secretary Meena Raman told The Malaysian Insight.

“Is it going to be a guideline or legally enforceable? If they (operators) violate the SOP, what is going to happen?

“We are sceptical that any SOP can work. We agree with the former minister, who said it is not the lack of law, but the lack of following the law. That is the issue here.”

She also questioned what enforcement measures will be put in place.

The industry cannot be left to self-regulate, said Meena, pointing to instances of illegal mining in the past.

An environmental impact assessment should be carried out before the moratorium is lifted, she added.

The Barisan Nasional government imposed a three-year moratorium after taking into account the health and environmental hazards from bauxite mining.

Meena said she only learnt through media reports that a public hearing will be held to consult stakeholders and a new SOP is in the works.

“We were not notified. We only heard from the papers. If the minister wants to engage now, fine, better late than never… that is important, but it should not be a mere engagement for public relations purposes.

“He should be seriously concerned about the environment and public health.”

Echoing Meena’s sentiments, Peka president Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said the ministry should inform stakeholders in advance about the public hearing, adding that so far, no dates have been given.

“The problem with them is that sometimes, they tell us at the very last minute, when a lot of people cannot attend. If they want to hold a public hearing, they must at least give us a date, a month or two earlier. That way, people can plan their attendance.”

A public hearing should have been held before the decision to lift the moratorium was made and that the engagement should include civil groups and residents, she said.

Even if there is an SOP in place, the question remains whether operators will adhere to it, said Shariffa.

“We are very upset about why in the first place, the moratorium is being lifted. Bauxite mining has caused a lot of negative impact on health, socio-economy and the environment. There have also been cases of death and drowning at bauxite mines in the past.”

SAM and Peka said they are open to participating in the public engagement should they be notified.

The ministry, in a February 23 statement, said it will conduct a public hearing to improve the SOP for the management of mines and export of bauxite in Pahang.

The engagement will be held before March 31 and will take into account the interests of the people and civil groups concerned about the environment, it said.

The Malaysian Insight is still waiting for a response from Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar and Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail. – March 6, 2019.