Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuklear Malaysia) is intensifying efforts to educate and engage the public to foster a better understanding of nuclear technology.
It aimed to dispel the perception that the technology is only associated with weapons of mass destruction and danger.
Nuklear Malaysia director-general Dr Muhammad Rawi Mohamed Zin said public advocacy and education were crucial to ensuring the community understood that nuclear technology can be used safely and in a controlled environment across various daily applications, including medicine, agriculture, food, industry, manufacturing and the environment.
“Under the National Nuclear Technology Policy 2030 (DTNN 2030), one of Nuklear Malaysia’s core responsibilities is to promote nuclear technology to the public to build awareness so people realise that nuclear technology is actually part of their everyday lives,” Muhammad Rawi told Bernama.
“We actively reach out to the community, both through our own initiatives and invitations from external parties, such as schools, to conduct talks, exhibitions and related activities.”
He said the efforts were executed through the Communication, Education and Public Acceptance approach to explain nuclear technology in simpler, more relatable terms.
“Public apprehension stems from a lack of information and understanding.
“That is why we developed the Nuclear Education Outreach platform – to translate technical nuclear jargon into rakyat- friendly language linked to daily life.
Under the “Nuklear Untuk Rakyat” initiative, he said about 24 Nuclear Advocacy Programmes had been and would be implemented nationwide, targeting various segments of society.
He added that the agency was tasked with carrying out three main initiatives – “Jelajah Nuklear” roadshow, “N.U.R@Wanita” and “Rakan Nuklear”.
“The ‘Jelajah Nuklear’ roadshow exposes school students to the basics of nuclear technology and radiation safety through casual, interactive methods while sparking interest in STEM fields.
“The ‘N.U.R@Wanita’ programme focuses on empowering women as agents of change and information communicators to raise awareness of the benefits of nuclear technology, while ‘Rakan Nuklear’ connects classroom learning with real-life nuclear applications,” he said.
Muhammad Rawi said public engagement must be stepped up because most people did not directly experience nuclear technology, even though they enjoy its benefits daily.
“For instance, in healthcare, patients interact with hospitals rather than nuclear technology directly.
“This is similar in other sectors, causing the public to sometimes be unaware that nuclear technology is close to them.”
Muhammad Rawi said public perception remained influenced by historical events like the Chernobyl reactor disaster in Ukraine and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, which left a lasting negative impression.
