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Tue, 09 Feb 2010
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 SPEAK UP! :: theSun Says |
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Review past hillslope tragedies
THE declassification of the Taman Bukit Mewah landslide report on Wednesday comes at a timely moment what with the wet season bringing more risks of landslides. As if to herald the disclosure of the report on the incident which claimed five lives and last Dec 6, another landslide occurred in Taman Cheras Awana just as the Selangor mentri besar announced that the state executive council had decided to make the Taman Bukit Mewah technical report public.
While the present state government is doing right by being candid with the people on how and why the tragedy occurred, one hopes that it will not just stop at that.
A review of construction standards must be on the cards and the recommendations of the technical committee, which was headed by the Public Works Department slope engineering division and comprised 11 other agencies, must be seriously considered if we want to see an end to more landslips which have become regular features at Ampang and Cheras.
It is incumbent upon the authorities and statutory bodies such as the Works Ministry, Ikram, the Department of Environment, local councils and the Housing and Local Government Ministry to ensure that the homes we live in are safe and secure.
On top of that, there must be a stop to the approval of slope development. Imposing special levies on housebuyers who buy homes on precarious plots as was suggested by the Selangor government last year is not a solution. All it does is relieve public coffers of remedial expenses in the event of a landslide. Levies are no guarantees that lives will not be lost.
And as more details surface, it is probably not too much to ask that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) put its tentacles out to find out if any hanky-panky or shortcuts were at play in the approval process for hillslope projects – not just with regards to Taman Bukit Mewah but all past tragedies.
The process of declassification of documents must be given the regard it deserves. It should not be a mere testament to negligence and greed, but must evolve into a damning affidavit to right wrongs and punish the guilty.
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Updated: 12:36AM Fri, 20 Nov 2009
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