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Stop Nuclear Power Now!

  • Publication Date | August 4, 2015
  • Document Type | Media Statement
  • Programmes | Development & Planning
  • Issues | Energy
  • Tags | Atomic Energy Regulatory Bill, Climate, energy policy, MNPC, national nuclear policy, nuclear
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This is a joint statement by the Malaysian Coalition Against Nuclear which SAM is a member of

We, the undersigned citizens and civil society organisations, under the banner of the Malaysian Coalition Against Nuclear (MyCAN), unequivocally reject nuclear power as an option for Malaysia’s energy needs.

We are against nuclear power for the following reasons:

  • Nuclear power is inherently unsafe. Studies have also shown that residents within a 100km radius of nuclear power plants (NPPs) have higher chances of contracting cancer, leukemia and generational DNA defects. Nuclear waste remains radioactive for thousands of years and cannot be disposed of safely. NPPs are vulnerable to natural disasters and accidents, human error as well as sabotage or terrorist attacks.
  • Nuclear power is enormously expensive, from the costs of procuring uranium, construction and operating costs of NPPs, to the management of nuclear waste and eventual decommissioning of the plants. 
  • Nuclear power has never been clean or green. Each step – from uranium ore mining, milling, processing, fuel fabrication, reactor construction, spent fuel reprocessing to eventual decommissioning and waste storage – releases greenhouse gases, radioactive particles and toxic materials that poison the air, water and land. 
  • Nuclear power will make Malaysia energy insecure due to dependence on foreign technology and supply of nuclear materials.  

To this end, we reject the Atomic Energy Regulatory Bill, which is likely to be tabled at the next parliamentary sitting from 19 October to 3 December 2015. This Bill will open the door for the adoption of nuclear power as a source of electricity generation. 

We also strongly object to the public fora conducted by the Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation (MNPC), which has a strong vested interest in promoting nuclear power. We view this as no more than a disguised form of propaganda and misinformation for the purpose of promoting nuclear power and building ‘buy-in’ among the uninformed public. 

The government has been keeping the public in the dark by withholding information on the true extent of the progress of its nuclear ambitions. On one hand, it maintains that it has yet to make a decision on adopting nuclear power, while on the other, it is preparing to table a bill that will pave the way for the dawn of a nuclear Malaysia. 

It has long been the ambition of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration to adopt nuclear power in Malaysia. In 2010, the government adopted the National Nuclear Policy. Nuclear power is also included in the New Energy Policy (2010), and a twin unit nuclear power plant estimated to cost RM 23bn is planned under the Economic Transformation Programme. 

In 2011, the MNPC, which reports directly to the Prime Minister’s office, was established to spearhead, plan and coordinate the implementation of a nuclear power programme that was expected to deliver Malaysia’s first nuclear power plant by 2021.  

In the recent 11th Malaysia Plan, the following references to nuclear power betray the conclusion that the adoption of nuclear power is not a question of if but a question of when: ‘…communications and public awareness programmes to build buy-in for the development of coal and nuclear power plants required for security of supply …’, and ‘The usage of nuclear power as an alternative energy resource will be explored further. In this regard, an independent atomic energy regulatory commission will be established based on a new comprehensive nuclear law for electricity generation’. 

The government’s ambitions are completely at odds with the concerns and views of its citizens. A recent National Energy Security Survey conducted by the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia (AWER) showed that 63.41% of Malaysians are concerned about safety issues of nuclear power plants and 66.61% of Malaysians want the government to first study in detail the nation’s energy needs before considering nuclear power.  

We therefore:  

1. Call upon fellow Malaysian citizens including elected representatives of the people in the Dewan Rakyat to reject the Bill. We urge all Members of Parliament, on both sides of the political divide to heed the concerns of civil society and their demands that the nuclear power project be terminated on grounds of public health and safety, economics, energy security, environmental protection and sustainable development. 

2. Strongly object to any further advancement and public promotion of nuclear power in Malaysia without a genuinely fair and democratic process of public consultation and debate on whether Malaysia should go down the nuclear route. This process of public consultation must be conducted by a neutral body without any conflict of interests. 

3. Echo and reinforce the rakyat’s call for a detailed study of the nation’s energy needs first. We further call for genuine reform of the energy sector to avoid going down the nuclear power pathway. We are convinced that Malaysia’s real energy needs, now and in the future, can be met through demand management, energy conservation and efficiency measures, and the nation’s abundant sources of renewable energy, e.g. solar energy. We demand a level playing field for all these measures.  

This statement is endorsed by: 

  1. Consumers’ Association of Penang
  2. Institut Rakyat
  3. Malaysian Physicians for Social Responsibility
  4. Nuke Off! (Belia Tanpa Nuklear)  
  5. Persatuan Belia Perubahan Iklim
  6. Sahabat Alam Malaysia
  7. Third World Network
  8. Treat Every Environment Special Sdn Bhd

Statement issued on behalf of Malaysian Coalition Against Nuclear (MyCAN).

S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS

President

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Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah satu badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang telah sekian lama berjuang mempertahan kelestarian alam. Ia juga mendidik masyarakat tentang pentingnya kebersamaan dalam pemikiran dan tindakan agar alam ini dapat kita wariskan kepada generasi hadapan dalam keadaan yang elok dan terpelihara. Dalam pada itu juga SAM giat membantu golongan nelayan pantai dalam memperjuangkan hak-hak mereka sehinggalah tertubuhnya Persatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING). Nelayan pantai sepenuh masa ini dididik oleh SAM sehingga mereka mampu memainkan peranan sebagai pemimpin nelayan yang meneruskan kesinambungan memperjuangkan hak-hak nelayan pantai lainnya. Sebagai contoh SAM telah berjaya menyedarkan masyarakat nelayan keperluan menjaga hutan paya bakau untuk kebaikan hasil tangkapan nelayan itu sendiri.
Jamaluddin Mohamad Bualik
Jamaluddin Mohamad BualikPersatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Jaringan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING)
During the 1980s, I used to read about the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) in the news. After retirement, some time in 2001, while lazing around, I read news about the construction of a carbon in leach plant using sodium cyanide to extract gold in Bukit Koman. My friends and I visited CAP and we were introduced to SAM and her legal team. We discussed the details of filing a case against the gold mining company and the department of environment with Ms Meenakshi Raman and her legal team. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between lawyers from SAM and many of us from Bukit Koman. We had many ups and downs in our struggle to shut down the gold mine that was causing a nuisance in our village. But, as a community we never gave up because SAM had our backs.
Hue Fui How
Hue Fui HowSecretary, Bukit Koman Ban Cyanide in Goldmining Action Committee (BCAC)
Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah sebuah NGO yang memperjuangkan nasib masyarakat luar bandar khasnya. SAM menerima aduan-aduan masyarakat dan menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi. SAM telah mewujudkan ramai aktivis-aktivis sosial dan alam sekitar. Pada era 1980 dan 90an SAM sangat dihormati oleh masyarakat dan agensi kerajaan. Apabila media sosial menguasai maklumat maka SAM pun terkesan dan masalah masyarakat terus disalurkan dengan pelbagai cara. SAM perlu mewujudkan aktivis-aktivis pelapis yang muda untuk terus membantu masyarakat. SAM juga perlu membuat perubahan supaya banyak turun kelapangan dan jangan mengharapkan laporan media sahaja. Tingkatkan prestasi sebagaimana pada zaman kegemilangan SAM di era 80-90an.
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Che Ani Mt Zain
SAM taught me the importance of social activism and the role it plays in upholding the rights of people and the protection of the environment. In my experience, SAM has never hesitated to speak up in defence of people and their environment, and has gone the extra mile to champion their rights, by helping communities take their battles to the higher ups and even to the courts.
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Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Headquarters)
No. 1, Jalan Joki, 11400 Penang,
Malaysia
Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Marudi Office)
129A, First Floor,
Jalan Tuanku Taha,
P.O.Box 216,
98058 Marudi, Baram, Sarawak,
Malaysia
Tel & Fax: +6085 758 973

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