Man Tells Court Son Scored B For Physical Education Due To Myokymia Caused By Pollution Of Sungai Kim Kim

JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- A man told the High Court here today that his son did not achieve excellent results in his Physical Education (PE) at school due to the Myokymia condition he suffers from.

Idham Wazir A Wahab, 53, said his son, Irfan Wafiy, 17, the fourth of five siblings, only got a B in the subject because of the disease which was caused by the Sungai Kim Kim pollution incident in Pasir Gudang in March 2019.

"This year Irfan Wafiy is sitting for for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination. He used to get a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.96. He should be able to get a CGPA of 4.0 but due to his illness he only got a B for PJ," he said when questioned by lawyer Phang Soon Mun, representing P Tech Resources Sdn Bhd and two of the company directors. 

Today is the fourth-day trial of an RM30 million lawsuit by 42 plaintiffs over the river pollution incident. The hearing was before High Court Judge Datuk Seri Shamsulbahri Ibrahim.

When answering questions from lawyer Walter Pereira, representing all the plaintiffs, Idham Wazir said his son would have failed in the subject if he had been given an E.

Meanwhile, when asked by lawyer Mohd Faizal Ahmad, representing the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council (MPPG) (now known as the Pasir Gudang City Council or MBPG) regarding the medical document which stated that his son had Myokymia due to the pollution, Idham Wazir said he could submit the document to the court.

Idham Wazir said he was only referring to a medical report by a neurologist referred to by the hospital here regarding his son’s when the examination was done in 2021.

He admitted not getting the opinion from a third party, including other medical experts, regarding the Myokymia disease that his son had been suffering from since 2021.

Irfan Wafiy is named the first of the 42 plaintiffs in the suit.  The plaintiffs comprising pupils and the public are represented by lawyers Datuk Kamarudin Ahmad, Walter Pereira, S. Kemkumar Savior Lopez and Radiyah Abdul Karim.

They filed the suit in July 2019, naming 12 defendants, including the Johor government, the state DOE and Department of Irrigation and Drainage, P Tech Resource and MPPG. 

The pollution incident that happened in March 2019 shocked the whole country because it affected the health of more than 2,000 civilians and caused 111 schools in Pasir Gudang to be closed.

The hearing continues on  Jan 16 and 17 next year.

-- BERNAMA