The Bukit Antarabangsa landslide disaster yesterday, claiming at least five lives, injuring at least 15 and dislocating thousands of residents after destroying 14 bungalows, is sheer criminal negligence after the Highland Towers tragedy which killed 48 people 15 years ago.
Clearly, the lessons of the Highland Towers tragedy 15 years ago have not been learnt by anyone, least of all the various government agencies, whether at the federal, state or local government level.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday lamented that “Malaysians never want to learnt from past experiences” – “They want good views while developers only seek to profit; but no one takes safety and soil stability into consideration”.
Conspicuously absent from Abdullah’s blame list are the various government agencies and authorities who should be even more culpable in giving approvals or closing an eye to dangerous hillside developments and in totally ignoring the lessons of the Highland Towers tragedy 15 years ago.
I visited the site of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide tragedy this morning together with several DAP MPs – Dr. Tan Seng Giaw (Kepong), Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang), Lim Lip Eng (Segambut), Teo Nie Ching (Serdang) – Selangor State Exco Member Ean Yong Hian Wah (Seri Kembangan) and Lee Ying Ha (Teratai) and I was shocked that the Minister for Housing and Local Government, Datuk Ong Ka Chuan had still to make his appearance at the site although it was more than 24 hours after the tragedy.
When the Highland Towers tragedy occurred on Dec. 11, 1993, the then Housing and Local Government Minister, Datuk Dr. Ting Chew Peh, was immediately on the scene and stayed for hours. Where is Ong Ka Chuan?
Parliament must prove its relevance by having an immediate debate on why the lessons of the Highland Towers tragedy 15 years ago have not been learnt or the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide disaster yesterday would not have happened.
MPs from both the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat should speak loud end clear in Parliament on Wednesday to express their condemnation of the criminal negligence which had failed to learn from the Highland Towers tragedy to prevent the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide disaster yesterday.
I call on Ka Chdua to work with the Works Minister and the Environment Minister to present a ministerial statement on the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide tragedy in Parliament when MPs reconvene on Wednesday and to ensure that his ministerial statement is followed by a full parliamentary debate.
A Royal Commission of Inquiry should be established to inquire not only into the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide tragedy, but even more important, why the lessons of the Highland Towers tragedy 15 years ago have not been learnt by all the parties concerned, including the federal, state and local government authorities as to prevent yesterday’s tragedy from happening.
#1 by negarawan on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 11:47 am
These landslide tragedies are good analogies of how UMNO is ruling this country. Malaysia has collapsed in terms of its economy, education system, racial and religious harmony, and international stature.
#2 by AhPek on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 12:11 pm
OrangRojak,
I don’t think I’ll agree with you fully when you say Malaysia does not have competent engineers but however on second thought you could be right too.The competent ones have probably migrated getting real cheesed off by the ever sickening political situation they have to put up with.Equally damning is als that there are people who can be persuaded to close one eye to approve the unapprovable!
#3 by madmix on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 12:24 pm
The consumer can act to prevent such tragedies from happening again and again; DO NOT BUY HOUSES on hill slopes or on foothills where the hills have been cut and built. Especially so DO NOT BUY APARTMENTS in multi storied buildings on hill slopes. If few people buy such properties, developers will not build.
Our hills are unlike those in Greece and Italy where there is no soil and the buildings are sitting on rock.
What about buildings already built? Is it fair to ask other rate payers to bear the cost of taking preventive measures? If my house leaks and gets attacked by termites, can I ask the town council to repair it for me?
#4 by AhPek on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 1:57 pm
I am sure many people the statue ‘Christ The Redeemer’ with its outstretched hands blessing the city of Rio de Janeiro.A fantastic piece of engieering that it is named recently as the New 7 Wonders of the World.
A little bit of facts on this statue:
(a) It sits at the peak of Corcovado Mountain, 2,330 ft (710m).Most of our hill slope developments is not even half as high!
(b) The statue is 125 ft (38m)
(c) The statue has a weight of 700 mtons.
(d) It’s the tallest statue of its kind in the world.
(e) Construction material—reinforced concrete and soapstone, stonestone being used at its outer layer due to its good resistance to weathering.
(f) Local enginner,Heitor da Silver Coste, designed the statue and Paul Landowski,a French monument sculptor of Polish origin,sculpted the statue.
(g) Took 9 years for completion.
The statue was struck by a lightning during a violent electric storm on Sunday,Feb10,2008.The storm caused havoc in Rio with fallen trees everywhere in several neighbourhoods but the statue was left unscathed because the material chosen for its outer layer is an insulator.
How come Malaysia’s hill slope buildings are coming down like ten pins with regularity and not elsewhere?
One Malaysia is not following the best engineering practices.Two there are people who can be persuaded to close one eye to approve the unapprovable.Third,the most important reason.At the end of whatever investigation here,nobody is found guilty—not enough evidence.
#5 by AhPek on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 2:02 pm
should be ‘I am sure……….mant people know the statue ‘Christ The Redeemer’
…………………………………city of Rio de Janeiro.’.
#6 by timothy on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 2:16 pm
Indeed malaysian didnt learn from Highland Tower’s case. After that case, there appearred a profession called building surveyor. After the incident, the press brought up the need of Building Surveyors to be involvoed in all building built on hills, not neglecting also, on lands. But look at the present, this profession still not recognised, not even having its own Act. If you’re sick, u won’t go and find a a vet, if u need to build a house, u won’t go and find a fashion designer. Similarly, in this construction industry, building surveyors have roles to play. Unfortunately, ‘people’ neglected them. Who to blame?
Malaysia produces how many hundreds of building surveyors each year. How many involved in the public sector now? less than 10! how many private BS firms in Malaysia, less than 5! Where is the awareness? Life is precious, not something you can play about. When there’s such need for this profession, why cant it be ALIVE in Malaysia
#7 by timothy on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 2:17 pm
Indeed malaysian didnt learn from Highland Tower’s case. After that case, there appearred a profession called building surveyor. After the incident, the press brought up the need of Building Surveyors to be involvoed in all building built on hills, not neglecting also, on lands. But look at the present, this profession still not recognised, not even having its own Act. If you’re sick, u won’t go and find a a vet, if u need to build a house, u won’t go and find a fashion designer. Similarly, in this construction industry, building surveyors have roles to play. Unfortunately, ‘people’ neglected them. Who to blame?
Malaysia produces how many hundreds of building surveyors each year. How many involved in the public sector now? less than 10! how many private BS firms in Malaysia, less than 5! Where is the awareness? Life is precious, not something you can play about. When there’s such need for this profession, why cant it be ALIVE in Malaysia???
#8 by OrangRojak on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 2:23 pm
@Ah Pek, my apologies, I didn’t mean to imply any of those things were lacking in Malaysia. I might have been writing in British again, or perhaps the double-negative sounded better in my head than it reads on a screen.
Perhaps it’s not even British… a good friend of mine from a ‘posh’ family in the UK suggested before I came to Malaysia that I “could always teach Estuary English”. I’m not always understood in the UK either!
#9 by katdog on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 10:59 pm
I don’t think we need to go so far as an RCI into these matters.
Did anyone truly believe that things would change after the Highland Towers tragedy? Only the naive, the ignorant and the deluded.
Now that Selangor is under the control of PR i think MORE can be done than JUST calling for an RCI.
#10 by TheWrathOfGrapes on Tuesday, 9 December 2008 - 1:59 pm
/// AhPek Says:
Yesterday at 13: 57.17
How come Malaysia’s hill slope buildings are coming down like ten pins with regularity and not elsewhere? ///
AhPek ah, so simple one you oso dunno. Different geology and topograhy. If you built on a granite hill or mountain, you don’t even need any foundation and it can last forever. But if you build on a hill without much rock base, then you will need strong foundations.
I think in Malaysia’s case, the likely cause is really developers and engineers cutting corner by not putting in the necessary foundation works – gentle gradients, ground anchors, weep holes, adequate pilings, proper drainage systems, etc. Heck, the whole of Marina Square and the new Marina Bay (where the Marina Bay Sands casino is being built), and the whole stretch of East Coast Parkway and all the high-rise buildings along Marine Parade Road in Singapore are all built on reclaim land. These are jelly-like land compared to the virgin lands in Antarabangsa/Ampang. The critical difference is that proper foundations were installed when buildings are put up on reclaimed land in Singapore.
#11 by Thinking Two on Tuesday, 9 December 2008 - 4:36 pm
Action should be taken against the previous government as well as the developers concerned as someone blamed the developers gave pressure to the local authorities.
You guess who said that.
#12 by taiking on Tuesday, 9 December 2008 - 6:49 pm
Acts of God. Acts of God. Acts of God. Yes. Why didnt I think of it before!!
Acts of God. That is what it is all about!
See it water problem.
Rain water.
The water came from the sky.
I mean … rain water could not have come pouring out suddenly from riverbeds and the oceans.
They come from …. yes the sky.
And who lives up in the sky?
… yes God.
But I wonder why God does a thing like that.