A SABAH PKR leader wants Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to step in to help resolve the controversy surrounding a gold mining operation in Tawau district, alleging that it has not ceased operations despite a federal directive.
Sazalye Donol said the mining activity at Bukit Mantri in the Balung area of Tawau continues unhindered despite the Mineral and Geoscience Department’s chief inspector issuing a stop work order on November 1 last year.
He said the company claimed to have obtained a permit to keep mining under the Sabah Mining Ordinance 1960 which gives the state Land and Survey Department director the authority as the mining chief inspector for Sabah.
“If indeed they received the clearance from the Sabah government, a probe must be held on whether the mining activity followed the standard operating procedures and whether the company in question received the approval from the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry,” he told reporters in Kota Kinabalu recently.
Sazalye is a member of the Sabah PKR Leadership Council and a lawyer by profession.
Meanwhile, Sabah News Today reported that several enforcement agencies were conducting detailed inspections related to a mining activity in Bukit Tundung, Balung yesterday.
Quoting sources, it reported that several vehicles belonging to the police, the Sabah Forestry Department, Customs Department, Immigration Department, and the Land and Survey Department had entered the site.
Sazalye claimed that there is a clear conflict between the state and federal scopes on the issue of the mining project.
He pointed out that the federal authority supersedes the state’s as mineral mining comes under the purview of the federal list.
He believes there are many questionable activities in relation to the gold mining activities.
Besides the conflicting state and federal authorities, there was also the recent seizure of 110kg of gold bars by the Customs Department at the Tawau Airport on February 6, he added.
However, the gold bars were returned to the company after Customs officials found that there were no laws broken under the Customs Act, or any subsidiary laws under the act.
Sazalye stressed that the prime minister must step in to resolve this controversial issue, stating that the eradication of corruption is one of the foremost policies under Anwar-led Madani government.
Previously, Sarifuddin Hatta, an opposition leader from Warisan, had challenged the Sabah government to come clean over its inaction on the so-called “illegal” mining activity.
He said the activities raised concerns among the residents in terms of land stability, area safety, and environmental pollution.
Sarifuddin said companies must also submit an Environmental Impact Assessment approval letter and occupancy documents for areas other than the company's lot in that area.
He said studies should be conducted first to ensure such mining activities would be beneficial to Sabahans if indeed the mining area contains significant amounts of gold. – The Vibes, February 23, 2024
