OSMAN Sapian should not have gone to Batam while the Sg Kim Kim pollution crisis was unfolding in Pasir Gudang, said Hishammuddin Hussein. 

The Sembrong MP said the Johor menteri’s besar action did not reflect the state government’s seriousness on the issue. 

“You (just) don’t go to Batam. It just doesn’t show the seriousness, credibility and priority given by the state government towards what happened in Pasir Gudang,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today. 

Critics said Osman should not have gone on the trip to promote Visit Johor 2020 while the state grappled with the fallout from the toxic dumping in Sg Kim Kim.

He said he went to Batam Island because it was a pre-planned working visit to improve collaboration between Johor’s tourism industry investors and their Indonesian counterparts.

The trip was for three days but was cut short to less than a day because of the toxic waste pollution crisis in the state, he said.

“Throughout the 24 hours I was in Batam, the disaster management committee was in contact with me every two hours to ensure smooth and orderly progress of the operations.

“Therefore, I hope this explanation can address the misunderstanding and confusion among the people,” he said in a statement, after a long silence yesterday.

A total of 111 schools in the area have been ordered to close in the crisis.

The education minister said in a statement the schools will remain closed until further notice. 

Hishammuddin said he was disappointed at the state government’s handling of the crisis. 

“I am shocked by the state government for taking this serious issue lightly and not showing seriousness that could instil public confidence,” he said. 

He added the education minister should also have taken a firm stand on the matter as school children were involved. 

He also questioned the Defence Ministry’s role in the crisis. 

“In the context of defence, we have our experts. Why were the chemical experts not deployed earlier? What were they waiting for?” – March 18, 2019.