The Perak government, led by Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, has requested a moratorium from the Federal Government to continue exporting raw rare earth elements (REE). Perak is currently the only state in Malaysia with permission to mine non-radioactive REE (NR-REE) as a pilot project, and they have been mining and selling it according to standard operating procedures. However, they now want permission to sell the REE to be put on hold until the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry makes a decision on whether to allow nationwide sales.
Saarani Mohamad emphasized the need to sell the raw rare earth elements to avoid wastage. If they are unable to sell, they may have to process the REE themselves, although they currently do not have such plans. This request for a moratorium comes after PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man questioned Perak’s act of exporting REE despite a policy banning it.
During the mid-term review presentation of the 12th Malaysia Plan (MP12) in Parliament last September, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a policy to ban the export of REE. Anwar stated that this move aims to prevent exploitation and loss of resources while maximizing returns for the country. It should be noted that Perak has already received approximately RM16 million in royalty payments from the export of rare earth carbonate (REC) to China earlier this year.
The rare earth mining project in the Kenering sub-district of Gerik, Perak, began in October of the previous year. Saarani Mohamad pointed out that Perak had started selling the REE in January, prior to the announcement from the Prime Minister. He defended the state’s actions, stating that they had not done anything wrong.
