IPOH: The Perak state government will ensure that non-radioactive rare earth element (NR-REE) products remain the property of the state government, and not managed by any government-linked companies (GLCs) such as Petronas, says Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
The Mentri Besar said that the matter is a concern for all state governments in the country because they do not want the revenue to be managed by a central GLC.
According to him, NR-REE products are the right of the state and should be managed by the respective state governments.
“So YB (referring to Razman Zakaria (PN-Gunung Semanggol) your concern is the same as what the state government feels.
“In several meetings held at the central level, we stated our position that NR-REE products are the right of the state government.
“So all activities related to extraction are the rights of the state government, however the central government will be the coordinator of the activities related to it,” he said when replying to Razman’s concern at the state assembly sitting Tuesday (July 9).
Saarani said the state would defend this stand till the end, to ensure the NR-REE yields are controlled by the state.
Previously, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad had said that the Mineral Development Act 1994 needs to be amended in an effort to meet the development requirements of the country's NR-REE business model framework.
He had said that the legal framework is a fundamental matter that needed to be resolved first before discussions are made on the establishment of a GLC to explore and regulate the industry.
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