KUALA LUMPUR – Former federal minister Yeo Bee Yin was almost sacked by then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2019 over her policies on rare earth facility Lynas.
In a book on DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, it was revealed that almost a week after the Atomic Energy Licensing Board’s conditions on Lynas, Dr Mahathir wanted the former energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister gone.
“At the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, August 21, 2019, (Dr) Mahathir said he wanted to make a minor change to cabinet portfolios,” said DAP political education director Liew Chin Tong in his book titled Lim Kit Siang: Patriot. Leader. Fighter.
“The news leaked, and we were anxious.”
Malaysiakini reported Liew as saying that he later found out from then finance minister Lim Guan Eng about what had transpired.
“I left the building (prime minister’s office) as the leaders went into the prime minister’s room, only to find out from Guan Eng – when we met with Kit Siang later – that (Dr) Mahathir wanted to remove Yeo over her defiance on Lynas and other environmental issues.
“The leaders later managed to dissuade (Dr) Mahathir from executing his plan, and Yeo stayed on.”
However, the book did not elaborate on why Dr Mahathir was upset.
Liew also acknowledged DAP had anticipated the closure of the Lynas plant in Gebeng, Kuantan, Pahang, as the party had been against the project since 2012.
Come November 2019, Dr Mahathir met his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, on the sidelines of the 35th Asean Summit in Bangkok, Thailand.
“They (the Australian government) are hoping we will drop the conditions,” the Langkawi MP was reported as saying.
On August 15, 2019, AELB announced that Lynas’ operating license had been renewed for another six months.
The renewal came with major conditions, including transferring the cracking and leaching process to another country and construction of a permanent disposal facility in Malaysia. – The Vibes, April 21, 2021
