PETALING JAYA: The Sultan of Johor has described as “despicable and a total disgrace” the recurring issue of chemical pollution in the state.
In an interview with The Star, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, slammed the state and federal disaster management system which he said exposed their “complete flaws and weaknesses, if not incompetence”.
Leaders of state and federal bodies are expected to face the wrath of the Johor Ruler as he is expected to summon them to answer for the incidents, the daily reported.
“We were assured that all was all right and we heard the politicians and officials issuing us assurances but barely three months later, the people of Johor are faced with this issue again.
“This is despicable and a total disgrace,” he said.
The second pollution incident resulted in the temporary closure of 475 education institutions in Pasir Gudang. More than 100 students from over 30 schools have been affected by the pollution.
Almost 4,000 people had to seek treatment at hospitals in March after the first incident of pollution at Sungai Kim Kim
The Sultan said he was growing weary of assuarances given by state administrators as these incidents keep occurring.
“I do not want to be hoodwinked again and again by empty assurances. I read that the state government spent about RM6.4mil to clean up Sungai Kim Kim of the toxic waste in March.
“Then, we have conflicting statements from a minister who first affirmed that the latest incident was related to the earlier case in Sungai Kim Kim but later denied it.
“These are very confusing and conflicting statements to me, as they should be speaking authoritatively on such an important matter,” he said, insisting that the officials should carry out their jobs competently and effectively.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal on Monday disclosed that there are 265 checmical factories operating in Pasir Gudang, and that 30 have been shortlisted for investigation into whether they were related to the latest pollution incident.
Sultan Ibrahim said he plans to request the state governemnt to either “get rid or relocate” these factories as they were a threat not only to the people or Johor, but also to neighbouring nation, Singapore.
“I don’t care about the so-called economic value of these toxic industries as I am only concerned about the health of Johoreans. That is far more important than money.
“I don’t want the politicians, whether state or federal, to tell me about the economic impact. Please stop these,” he said.
