Towards a comprehensive nuclear legislation in Malaysia

Full text: Malaysia has established a system of authorization, inspection and enforcement for the safety and control of nuclear, radioactive materials and radiation emitting devices. This was the enactment of the Atomic Energy Licensing Act in 1984 and the setting up of the Atomic Energy Licensing Board in 1985 to ensure safety of radiation sources and emitting devices, radiation protection, safe management of radioactive waste and safe transport of radioactive materials. The implementation of this act was further enhanced with several regulations and subsidiaries, and as history has it the regulatory control above is divided between the Atomic Energy Licensing Board for non-medical application and the Radiological Health Services Unit of the Ministry of Health for medical application. Whilst it has been effective over the years in maintaining an accepted level of nuclear and radiation safety in Malaysia, however, there remain more efforts to be taken to strengthen the nuclear regulatory infrastructure in this country. These issues range from gaps in the legal provisions and procedures, the implementation and enforcement of the laws and the new and expected commitments to international treaties and obligations. The emergence of current security needs has also evolved into enhanced measures which we have to have in place to ensure our safety, security and trade future is not jeopardized. This paper will highlight some of the shortfalls of the current legislation and discuss the issues and the challenges faced by the country in trying to fulfil its current international obligation and the requirements of the international standards in nuclear and radiation safety and security. A comprehensive nuclear legislation based on all these requirements needs to be formulated and there should be a standard required by the IAEA for all countries to ensure safety and security of nuclear and radiological materials. (author)