Himpunan Hijau and Bersih 3.0 - with a common 'goal' but different 'critical' issues will come together on April 28

Himpunan Hijau and Bersih 3.0 - with a common 'goal' but different 'critical' issues will come together on April 28 "to leave a better legacy" for future Malaysians.

KUALA LUMPUR: The anti-Lynas group Himpuan Hijau will gather in Kuala Lumpur Conventional Centre (KLCC) park on April 28 before converging with Bersih 3.0′s gathering at Dataran Merdeka.

They will gather in the park at 12pm – two hours before the scheduled Bersih rally is to take place and walk to Dataran Merdeka.

“The green tsunami will converge in the sea of yellow. Let the whole world see what happens on April 28. On that day there will be two separate events – Himpunan 3.0 and Bersih 3.0,

“Both movement champion two different critical issues in this nation but with one common goal, that is to leave a better legacy and future for out next generation,” said the group’s chairperson Wong Tack.

Wong added that the anti-Lynas movement was done talking and said that “enough is enough”.

“We are not gathering to scream or to yell. We have spoken enough, we have yelled enough. Enough is enough.

“The responses from the authority and government over Lynas in unacceptable and our decision is final, Lynas must get out of Malaysia,” he said.

When asked how many people were they expecting at the rally today, Himpunan organisers said that they expected “tens of thousands” to gather to show their support.

Wong added that even when people could not make it to the rally in Kuala Lumpur (KL), they should join the local gathering to show their protest.

Asked if the authorities will allow for the protest to take place, Wong said: “It is not a question to allow or not to allow, it is the duty of the police to protect the crowd”.

Bersih has already estimated that a crowd of half a million will converge during the protest.

‘Critical moment now’

On Wednesday at Bersih’s official announcement of their third rally, Himpunan Hijau representatives present also announced their support for the effort and said that they will join the rally.

This will also be Himpunan’s third rally. The first was held on October 9 2011 in Kuantan.

The second was held February 26 this year in Kuantan and in KL where 15, 000 and 500 people turned up in the respective locations to protest the Lynas project. The crux issue was fear over its potential radioactive residue.

Stanley Yong, secretary general of the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Asssembly Hall which supported the initiative said that the government was merely “kicking the ball aimlessly around the field” without solving the issue at hand.

“In the government you have so many Ministries, you have the Health Ministry, a ministry to oversee community needs, but yet they have formed endless committees to oversee this Lynas issue.

“They are kicking the ball left and right, east and west but no where near the goal. On top of that they are confusing the people,” he said.

The government announced in March that a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) will be formed to oversee the safety of the project.

This committee however was boycotted by the Pakatan leaders who claim that the government has already made up its mind to continue with the project.

Wong said today that it was timely to stop the join Bersih to demand for a cleaner environment and cleaner government.

“It is timely to be in solidarity…It is a matter of life and death. It is a critical moment now,” he said.

Alos present today were representatives from other environmental groups such as Pahang Raub Anti- Cynanide Gold Mining Commitee, Safe Rawang, Realign High Tension Cable and Jaringan Activist Alam Sekitar Perak who are currently protesting the construction of iron ore mining plant in Teluk Rubiah, Perak.

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