PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he wasn't referring to anyone when he used the word “pariah” recently when commenting about rare earths producer Lynas Corporation.
"I wasn’t directing it to anyone," he said when questioned about his use of the word after chairing the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) supreme council meeting at the Perdana Leadership Foundation today.
On Monday, Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying that Lynas should not be treated like a “pariah” (outcast) as it had brought in big investments and job opportunities.
“If you treat Lynas like a pariah and ask them to leave this country, we will not be able to get other people to come to this country to invest,” he had told the press after launching the 2019 World Tourism Conference.
Several Kapar PKR members had on Monday lodged a police report against Dr Mahathir, claiming that his use of the word had offended the Indian community.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister reiterated that the Cabinet will resolve issues pertaining to Lynas within six months.
The government recently renewed Lynas Malaysia's operating licence for another six months, subject to conditions.
Among the conditions are the transfer of its cracking and leaching process to another country; and the construction of a permanent disposal facility. Lynas is also required to terminate all research and development activities on water leach purification radioactive residue as condisoil for agriculture.