S W Choo 49 days later

Whenever I read about nuclear technology, it reminded of the horrific images of the Chernobyl accident in Ukraine I saw from the National Geographic magazines when I was younger. No doubt that was an unfortunate accident and the occurrence of a gas leak at home is probably statistically higher that that of a nuclear plant leakage, the far-reaching effects of a nuclear plant leakage or explosion still send shivers down my spine, especially if a nuclear plant is may going to be just a causeway away. Although Malaysia did not state where they are going to build a nuclear power plant in definite terms, I think for Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin, Malaysia Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation to have made these statements, much thought must have been already made. I think the switch to nuclear power from fossil fuel as a source of energy brings both negative and positive aspects to environmental management issues. The fact that our closest neighbour is considering it brings about a trans-boundary dimension to existing environmental issues, which is whether Singapore can raise objections should the plant be built too near to us. Using nuclear technology as an alternative to fossil fuel is not something new. The USA, many European countries and Japan are already using it. The main concerns are about the safety issues to prevent leakages and sabotage. The process of disposing radioactive waste is also a main concern as it is potentially harmful to living organisms and the environment when not dispose properly. Building nuclear facilities also cost a lot of money. Given the rising cost of oil in recent years up to US$70 a barrel now, it is no wonder that countries such as Malaysia wants to turn to nuclear technology especially if the price of oil hits US$100 per barrel one day. Although such decision rest solely on the Malaysian Government and its people and we should all respect a country’s sovereignty , a nuclear facility has too much of an environmental impact to the region, for it to be decided solely by one country. Be it Thailand up north or Singapore down south, I think other ASEAN countries might express concern too. I think that the ASEAN Annual Ministerial Meeting would be an apt platform for the ASEAN neighbours to discuss and share their concerns over national projects, such as a nuclear power plant, that have a major regional environmental impact. Ultimately we all live in the same Earth, don’t we?