YEO Bee Yin has lashed out at quarters accusing her of being slow to act on Pasir Gudang’s latest air pollution crisis because firms purportedly linked to her husband are based in the area.

The “UMNOJohorOfficial” Facebook page said the energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister did not respond quickly as three companies said to be linked to her tycoon husband, Lee Yeow Seng, are operating in the Johor district.

Yeow Seng is the son of the late IOI Group founder Lee Shin Cheng.

Yeo said she will take legal action against parties that spread lies and abuse freedom of speech.

“This demeaning statement is an insult to the hundreds of civil servants from various agencies working to resolve the outbreak of health problems in Pasir Gudang,” she said on Facebook.

“They’ve been working tirelessly, day and night, taking readings and analysing data to identify the source of the incident.”

It is disgusting that there are quarters politicising the incident and disregarding the trauma experienced by those who have fallen ill due to the pollution, many of whom are children, she said.

The minister recently said there are 250 chemical companies operating in Pasir Gudang and the district’s development is unsustainable, with its air quality poorer than the rest of the country.

The three companies named in the post by the “UMNOJohorOfficial” page are IOI Pan Century Oleochemical Sdn Bhd, IOI Lipid Enzymetec and IOI Pan Century Edible Oils Sdn Bhd.

IOI Corp has divested its 100% stake in IOI Lipid Enzymtec to Loders Croklaan Group BV for RM330.5 million.

IOI Pan Century Oleochemical and IOI Pan Century Edible Oils, meanwhile, are owned by IOI Oleochemical Group, which is under the resource-based manufacturing division of IOI Group. – July 2, 2019.