Activists say the Malaysian government’s renewal of the miner’s licence to import rare earths to Malaysia for processing beyond March 2 is not a done deal.
The February ruling will come after more than a decade of controversy related to the low-level radioactive waste generated at the Lynas plant where ore exported from Australia to Malaysia is processed to produce rare earth elements. Lynas has said four reviews have all found its operations to be low risk and compliant with all regulations.
Senior government figures, including Mr Anwar, have been reluctant to support Lynas when they were in opposition. However, the prime minister is now focused on attracting foreign investment, amid promises Malaysia will finally get to flourish as it cracks down on corruption.The government’s decision on the Lynas licence will come amid soaring demand for rare earth elements, needed to manufacture everything from electric cars to smartphones and wind turbines.
The request ended up in the inbox of Anwar’s government after it was sworn in following a general election in November.Both Mr Anwar and Mr Chang were members of the Pakatan Harapan government that extended the Lynas operating licence for three years in 2020 and ruled cracking and leaching had to move outside of Malaysia by July 2023.
“Many don’t understand the operating licence consists of three different licences. The first is for importing, the second is for processing, and the third is for temporary storage of the waste,” said Mr Tan, chairman of the Save Malaysia campaign.
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