Wong (second right), Goh (second left) and two other green leaders showing the campaign leaflets and official petition forms.
KOTA KINABALU: The fight to stop Australia’s Lynas rare earth refinery plant in Kuantan continues as Himpunan Hijau set out to campaign for one million signatures in 100 days where Sabah is expected to contribute 10 per cent of the number.
In order to meet the target, 1,000 individuals in Sabah are expected to volunteer as ‘green leaders’ to collect 100 signatures each, which will then be combined with signatures from across the nation and form a petition to be submitted to the highest authority in the country, the Yang Dipertuan Agong, the Malaysian parliament, the Australia High Commission, the Embassy of Japan, and financial institutions that support Lynas.
A student volunteer, Wong Chiu Lin who led a press conference held at Kinabalu Daya Hotel here yesterday, disclosed that the campaign was also dubbed ‘mission impossible’ as there had never been a petition in the country that managed to reach as many as one million signatures.
She called on the people of Sabah to come together with the rest of Malaysia to support the event.
“I hope all Malaysians can come and work together for the sake of the environment and the future of Malaysia. This is the time to exercise our rights and responsibilities to safeguard the environment and to stop any actions that will jeopardise the future of Mother Earth and our country,” stressed Wong.
She is confident that the campaign would receive an encouraging response, “as Sabahans and Malaysians are more aware of their rights these days.”
The campaign will start on August 1, when volunteer ‘green leaders’ can download the official petition forms from the website, www.himpunan-hijau.com, and collect the signatures.
A nationwide gathering will be held on August 24, when the campaign will be officially launched, at a venue that will be announced later.
The campaign is open to all Malaysians aged 15 and above.
For more information, contact Wong at 016 837 9290 or Benjamin Goh at 016 423 4370.