COMMENT Whoever assessed the criteria for giving Lynas Corp of Australia a licence to operate a rare earths processing plant at Gebeng near Kuantan did the area and the country a great disservice.

That decision calls into question our processes for determining and evaluating foreign investment options and requires that we make a complete overhaul here. That will require a proper assessment of the economic and other benefits weighed against potential detrimental effects from the investments in a systematic, informed and transparent manner...