Friday, December 12, 2008

Landslide Survivor Wises Up To Umno

Malaysiakini today carried a story on Ungku Farid Ungku Abdul who lost his home and Indonesian housemaid last Saturday to the devastating landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa. As a service to those who haven't yet subscribed to Malaysiakini, I'm reproducing the item in full. Here's one wise Malaysian who has learned a hard lesson from this totally avoidable calamity. For decades the MPAJ (Ampang Jaya Municipal Council) has behaved like an Umno mafia under the political patronage of a succession of former Mentris Besar - which explains why greedy developers have been allowed to carry on with reckless hillside projects despite the grave warning of the horrific 1993 Highland Towers collapse...


“The developers go all out with their ‘predatory’ marketing to sell their projects. This must have been with the approval of state authorities,” he said.

“And if the state authorities had approved these hillside projects, they must have known the consequences of such development.


“So why didn't they tell us the risks? You cannot expect home buyers to hire engineering experts to ensure that their houses are safe! We need them to tell us!”

While bitter about these and other unanswered questions, Farid said he is now considerably more rational - and politically inclined - compared to before the landslide.

Unlike other residents who have signaled intent to sue the authorities, Farid said he can only afford to raise his questions and demands before the public. However, he also said it is within his capacity to try and prevent similar incidents.

Among his first steps will be to ensure that politicians - like those who approved the development projects in Bukit Antarabangsa - are not placed in decision making positions.

Asked what this means in concrete terms, Farid said he would start by campaigning against Umno in the upcoming Kuala Terengganu by-election by telling voters the dangers of keeping the party in power.

“The occurrence has been grievous to all of us, but there’s nothing more I can do to get our life back as it was before the landslide,” he said.

“We fell victim to the incestuous relationship of our politicians and businessmen. This is not a ‘natural’ disaster as they claim, because it was human failings that caused it. The least I can do is ensure that (other) Malaysians do not suffer as we have.”

‘Common sense suspended’

Farid, who bought his house 16 years ago, claimed that he had found out too late about ‘irregularities’ in the development projects in Bukit Antarabangsa.

State forestry officials had allegedly told him a few days ago that his house stands on a de-gazetted forest reserve, and that the whole of what is now Bukit Antarabangsa was once a water catchment area.


He also referred to the difficulties faced by more than 1,500 residents after the landslide. They could not leave their homes, as the sole access road to their houses and apartments was blocked.

“Why was there only one access road in the first place? How could the local authorities approve development projects with only one access road?

“Why are they talking about access roads and bridges only now? Is it because access roads and bridges would have cost the developers money, so they put off building these?”

Farid further questioned if environmental impact assessment studies had been carried out, given that several different projects have been, and are still being carried out, in Bukit Antarabangsa,

“Why are they going about these projects in bits and pieces? Did they or didn’t they have an overall plan for the whole area?”

“From this incident, we have found that common sense had been in suspension, the role of greed was prominent, and there was a complete lack of ethics on the part of business interests and politicians. Where were the regulators in all of this?”


3 FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNTS BY DR RAFFICK (WHO COORDINATED THE OPS CENTER IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE LANDSLIDE) REVEAL THE DEEP ROT WITHIN UMNO/BN

Bukit Antarabangsa - Multiple Tragedy I (10 Dec 2008)
Bukit Antarabangsa - Multiple Tragedy II (13 Dec 2008)
Bukit Antarabangsa - Multiple Tragedies III (14 Dec 2008)