Claims of illegal sand mining causing eco-disaster a blow to embattled Selangor government

A mine of controversy
Teo Cheng Wee, Straits Times 15 Jul 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: A sand mining controversy is piling pressure on the opposition-led state government in Selangor, which only recently survived a highly publicised power struggle.

It is the latest blow to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) administration, as concerns emerge over its grip on the country's richest state.

Malaysia's mainstream media, whose journalists were taken to the site, has been giving prominent coverage in the past few days to what it says is an impending environmental disaster in Selangor caused by illegal sand mining.

Reports say that Paya Indah Wetlands, a 3,100ha eco-tourism park located 50km south of Kuala Lumpur, is being destroyed by the clearing and excavation of some 120ha of land nearby.

A large sand mine is reportedly located just 50m from two lakes in the park. Newspapers ran pictures to show the proximity.

Although local villagers said the lorries and excavators turned up only two weeks ago, environmentalists were quick to decry the effect all this could have on the park. Paya Indah has 14 lakes and is home to hippos, crocodiles and more than 200 species of birds.

This is not the first time that the sand mining issue has hit the Pakatan government hard.

Two months ago, a sand mining company owned by Selangor state was accused by PR's own lawmakers of corrupt practices and mismanagement, briefly threatening the stability of the administration.

Although the state government has repeatedly asserted that the sand mining near the park is legal, this episode nevertheless is proving to be another messy setback for PR.

It has been a trying few months for Selangor's embattled Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, who faces stormy internal strife, though he is well-liked by the people.

He was first hit by rumours that 15 MPs from his party had teamed up to oust him from his menteri besar post.

He stepped down as the state chief of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) amid such talk, giving way to another party leader whom he is said to be at loggerheads with.

Then rumours surfaced that he would resign as menteri besar, which he angrily denied.

The series of setbacks has had analysts speculating - and Pakatan insiders worried - that Selangor could be ripe for the ruling Barisan Nasional's (BN's) picking.

The clock is ticking in the countdown to the next general election, which must be held by 2013. And as Malaysia's richest state, Selangor is highly sought after by both the BN and PR. The latter wrested the state from BN for the first time at the 2008 polls.

Indeed, while sand mining is ostensibly an environmental issue, this latest incident has a political twist.

The media trip, which took place on Sunday, was organised by Umno's former menteri besar Khir Toyo, who is now the opposition leader in the state assembly.

After the expose, he hit out at the state government for covering up the issue. 'The truth is (Khalid) has no time to do his office work because PKR is in a shambles,' said Datuk Seri Khir.

Prime Minister Najib Razak also chimed in yesterday, saying that Malaysians 'are seeing this as a weakness on the part of the (Selangor) state government'.

Tan Sri Khalid has rubbished all accusations of impropriety.

While he admitted that there were sand mining activities near the Paya Indah Wetlands, he told reporters that these were sanctioned by the state government and closely monitored.

He maintained that the mining was safe and posed no threat to the environment despite the proximity.

A Selangor state executive councillor alleged that the journalists had been duped by Dr Khir, who took them to a different location.

Yesterday, Mr Khalid challenged Deputy Premier Muhyiddin Yassin, who had also criticised Selangor's handling of the issue, to solve the state's illegal mining issues.

'Since he said it's easy, I thought he has a magic formula. I might as well use it,' he said.

Nature Society can review environment plan
New Straits Times 14 Jul 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Nature Society can review the environment management plan (EMP) on sand mining near the Paya Indah Wetlands, the Selangor government said.

Its tourism, consumer affairs and environment state executive councilor Elizabeth Wong said: "I don't see any issue with it. We also welcome suggestions to better protect the environment."

Wong was commenting on a statement by MNS head of communications Andrew Sebastian, who on Tuesday said the organisation was interested in studying the EMP.

Sebastian had expressed concerns about sand mining being too near the wetlands.

Wong also said that a news report stating the water level had dropped by 1m due to sand mining was inconclusive as firms had cleared land and created drains and canals a decade ago before sand mining took place.

She said government agencies had constantly monitored the sand mining since it began.

"We, too, are concerned. That's why we made it compulsory for firms to carry out for EMPs and environment impact assessments two years ago for such projects."