not all is right in Lumut…

A jetty is considered a strategic national asset similar to a port which has to be gazetted as a Legal Landing Point.

In the best interest of the country it should remain in the hands of the Government or a local nominee.

The Brazilian company Vale, will bring in and ship out huge amounts of iron ore through the jetty, which will be one of the largest jetties in the country and even the world.

The jetty is part of Vale International’s US$1.37 billion (RM4.07 billion) maritime terminal in Lumut with capacity to dock its mega big Valemax vessels.

What worries us is this…

While the impact of the project in terms of the environmental consequences remains a question, the consequences of allowing a large jetty to remain in foreign hands pose a different set of questions.

And the degree of spinoff- downstream value flow to the people of Perak is unanswered.

The Perak Government under MB Zambry will be setting a very unhealthy precedence if it allows a foreign company to own a jetty in such a strategic shipping port such as Lumut.

Then, there are a host of other issues such as control, regulation and maintenance as well as liability for dues, charges and fees.

Zambry must not allow a jetty so large and important to be operated autonomously by a foreign owner.

It is only right for the Government to retain control of the jetty once completed.

This project is not about fulfilling the objectives of a foreign company simply because they are setting up shop and investing here.

The actions of the Government in allowing Vale to do what it does should ultimately benefit the people of Perak.

Are we, the locals, going to benefit from the project or are we going to be at the losing end?

Even the contracts for constructing Vale’s facilities have largely gone to foreign hands while only a slight number has gone to Malaysian companies.

Read more at: http://sayno2vale.blogspot.com/2011/12/not-all-is-right-in-lumut.html