Kuala Lampur, May 14 -- MAY 14 - There is a curious silence in the corridors of power and the court of public opinion regarding the ghosts of our industrial past. As we stand on the cusp of a new rare earths boom, a boom that could redefine Malaysia's economic trajectory, we are besieged by a chorus of concern. We hear dire warnings of radiation, of environmental catastrophe, and of existential risk. But let us take a moment to look back. Look back at the mountains of sand that built modern Malaysia: the amang.

For decades, Malaysia was a titan of tin production. Our rivers were dredged, our lands were turned, and the world came to us for its raw materials. In the process, we created a byproduct-amang, the heavy mineral concentrates left...