Mahathir slammed over Bakun dam project

Mahathir slammed over Bakun dam project

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) yesterday hit out at Premier Mahathir Mohamad for accusing
foreigners of instigating local NGOs in taking the government to
court over the building of a massive dam.

They also accused Mahathir of having committed contempt of
court by disputing a June 19 High Court ruling against the 13.6-
billon-ringgit (US$5.2-billion) Bakun dam.

"By disputing the judgement, the prime minister has committed
contempt of court when he should respect the rule of law," said
Fan Yew Teng, executive director of the Center for Peace
Initiatives.

The court had ruled in favor of three tribesmen to be affected
by the dam in Malaysia's Sarawak state, declaring the project had
violated environmental laws.

Judge James Foong had ruled that the environmental impact
assessment (EIA) submitted by developer Ekran Bhd. was improperly
approved by Sarawak state authorities without the participation
of affected residents.

But Mahathir, returning from a three-week vacation Thursday,
said there were mitigating circumstances which the court should
have considered.

"You cannot, on the basis of a technical detail, throw a
spanner in the works of a 15-billion-ringgit project," Mahathir
had said in his hard-hitting remarks against the NGOs.

The prime minister also blamed local NGOs for Bakun's legal
predicament and accused them of being "unpatriotic by allowing
themselves to be instigated by foreigners."

"To say we have been influenced by foreigners is far from the
truth," said Sabri Zain, director of communications of the
Malaysian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

But Sabri said: "Everything we do as a local NGO takes into
consideration not only our mission on environmental protection,
but also the economic needs of the country."

Lawyers for the tribesmen also denied that they had been
instigated by any quarter in championing the cause of the
Sarawakian residents.

"We categorically deny any instigation by any quarter. The
suggestion that foreigners instigated this action is, with utmost
respect, absurd," said G.S. Nijar, one of the three lawyers.

Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), another local NGO, said it was
neither being unpatriotic, nor was it influenced by foreigners
when expressing dissenting views on Bakun or any other large
project.

"It is sad that the practice of accusing those with different
or dissenting views as being unpatriotic and serving the interest
of foreigners still persists," PRM spokesman Syed Husin Ali said.

Syed Hussin said PRM agreed that the Bakun dam is a national
project, "yet we believe that even a national project has to
follow the law."

Mahathir on Thursday said the Bakun dam should be implemented
as it "is a national project that is good for the nation."

Ekran executive chairman Ting Pek Khiing, a close ally of
Mahathir, said earlier yesterday he hoped the legal problems
could be cleared up by year-end.