Wednesday, December 10, 2008

malaysiakini and BUKIT ANTARABANGSA is MALAYSIA as DEPICTED by NATURE

There used to be a saying "As old as the hills" but somewhere in the obscene rush to development, people in Malaysia have ignored nature and defied all the laws that must be followed if we are not to become victims of the most powerful forces of nature.
In a way the Bukit Antarabangsa tragedies can be considered a snap-shot of the many problems that beset our nation.
First of all, there are powerful people involved in corrupt practices, from developers who see a quick profit from selling expensive properties with a view, to authorities with great appetites who approve land that is really not safe, to contractors who cut corners in construction, to local authorities who neglect proper maintenance.
As the Judiciary is still under a dark cloud after the sackings decades ago, some people even think that the very powerful can cause the disruption of justice with missing files being one of the techniques.
So it is not surprising to read this sad malaysiakini report that 'She would be alive if they had helped' - the guy's wife was in the rubble and according to him, he was only given a shovel. I wonder what is the response of those "rescuers" to this complaint? We do not know the full story and perhaps those present should tell the other side of the story too.
Even the top leaders of PKR and BN have started pointing fingers at each other. It is a sort of CATCH-22 situation as the PKR government took control of the state in March 2008 whereas the BN has been in charge for more than 50 years in Selangor.
If any blame is to be shared, it will be in the ratio of BN:PKR as 600:9 (months)ie the BN rule is about 55 TIMES more responsible for the problems than PKR.
The Selangor government should take the brave step to put an end to this vicious cycle of greed, corruption, destruction and death by setting up an official inquiry and letting the blame fall where it may.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

PHOTO: Thanks to the Star. Pic shows an abandoned house near failed slope. Such houses (with damaged roofs) will be water-logged can collect excessive rainwater and collect water during heavy rains. There was a row of abandoned houses at the top of the slope.

1 comment:

PeterP said...

Developers always look for quick profits and regrettably many in our civil service live beyond the means of their official salaries & perks. But we the people are the biggest culprits since we are quick to snap up such potentially dangerous properties.