Penanti assemblyperson Norlela Ariffin said this was the final report from the Department of Environment (DoE) on the illegal carbon processing factory in Sungai Lembu.
She said the Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) had sent her a letter informing that it would demolish the factory, after it had received the said letter from the DoE.
“Why not show a DoE letter signed by its director, after investigations into the factory.
“I have received a copy of the letter. And following DoE’s letter, I received a notification letter from MPSP saying it would demolish the factory.
“Better yet, why not bring the Penang DoE director to the press conference, since the director had ordered 31 sawdust burning pits to be put out in fears of harming the environment recently?” she asked in a statement on her Facebook page today.
The sawdust pit mentioned refers to an old method of harvesting activated carbon, where sawdust is burnt in open pits. The Sungai Lembu factory uses the same system.
The factory has been sealed by the DoE pending a corruption probe which began two weeks ago.
Norlela said she had also “fought off” attempts by the state executive council to extend the factory’s operation by “three years”.
“Please ask everyone in the state, have I condoned or have I fought against the exco to give a three-year extension to an illegal factory that is already running for more than 10 years?”
In an attempt to clear the air over the matter, the Penang government had recently declassified minutes on the Sungai Lembu factory of a Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) meeting and another district action committee meeting – both held in 2015.
The MPSP minutes released on Tuesday showed the DoE had found the Sungai Lembu factory “not polluting” but needed safety and emission controls installed, among others.
The DoE also raised concerns about how the factory was operating without any licence from the local authorities.
Yesterday, the state government declassified minutes of the Central Seberang Perai District Action Committee (MTD) meeting No. 8 on May 6, 2015.
The excerpt of the minutes saw Norlela raising the issue of high cancer rates among the people of Sungai Lembu and the case of a worker who fell into the burning pits and sustained 90% burns.
She told the MTD she was worried about the carbon factory being the cause of high cancer rates, with a Health Department official confirming there were 12 such cases in Sungai Lembu.
However, the health official told the MTD it was highly unlikely the factory was the cause of cancer, as the factory was situated in a “remote” (terpencil) area and the cancer patients were not workers of the factory.
The MTD also heard that the prevalence of cancer was high when one reached age 45 and above. The meeting was also informed the Sungai Lembu cancer patients were aged between 41 and 85.
The MTD later decided that enforcement action should be taken against the factory, especially by the MPSP and the Department of Safety and Health.
‘I’m just doing my job’
On a different note, Norlela decried certain remarks by the state government in press conferences on the issue. She perceived it as a veiled attempt to attack her.
She said she was merely doing her job as an elected representative, airing issues and questions of her electorate to the state government.
“My name is mentioned in recent press conferences as if I have done wrong for asking questions at the assembly and the district-level committee meetings.
“I have raised the issue after receiving an objection from 168 residents in an 18-page petition sent to me. The job of an elected representative is to question on behalf of the residents, be it licensed or not licensed.(sic)
“Any complaints from my electors, I will raise it on behalf of them.”