Boiling over landslide tragedy

Worrying issue: Many believe massive floods which have hit the state regularly is also caused by the vanishing forest and hill-cutting activities although the blame has always been put on excessive rainfall. — Bernama

The incident brings into focus the many hillslope developments on Penang island 

THE landslide in Tanjung Bungah which claimed 11 lives has brought into sharp focus the massive hill clearing and construction of high-rise buildings on steep slopes on Penang island.

Tonnes of earth buried the workers but Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has referred to it as a “construction site tragedy” and wants the people to focus on that.

The remark has not gone down well with civic groups which have been fighting for almost three decades for the state authorities to stop hillslope development.

People have also taken to social media to vent their anger at Lim over his statement.

Facebook user Lee George posted: “He’s not taking the blame that why he says its construction site mishap” while Karan Mayan Mayan said that “if your govt dept don’t approve then the contractor don’t do la”.

Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) legal adviser Meenakshi Raman said Lim, by calling it a construction site tragedy, may be trying to narrow the scope of investigations into an occupational safety and health issue.

It means the Penang Commission of Inquiry to be set up soon may not touch on guidelines on hillslope development, planning approvals and planning issues, she said.

The disclosure by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry that the Department of Environment (DOE) had rejected the hillslope project in January 2015 came as a shock to many.

If the DOE had rejected the project, why then did the Penang Island City Council allow the project to proceed?

Although the council’s One Stop Centre Committee gave the green light, is it a wise move given that the state government is proud of its Cleaner and Greener campaign as well as its Competency, Account­ability and Transparency policy?

The balding hills and hillslope development is a sheer mockery of the greener campaign.

Many believe massive floods which have hit the state regularly is also caused by the vanishing forest and hill-cutting activities although the blame has always been put on excessive rainfall.

Members of Penang Forum, a coalition of some 20 NGOs, are urging the people to pressure their elected representatives to persuade the state government to stop hillslope projects.

CAP vice-president Mohideen Abdul Kader said that only public pressure could make a difference as politicians are only interested in getting votes.

He said elected representatives should listen to the people, rather than developers.

Former Penang Island City councillor Dr Lim Mah Hui said the public should put more political and legal pressure to keep the state government on its toes.

Lim has been called the tokong (deity) by former Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mansor Othman ostensibly to show that Penangites support him overwhelmingly and that he is a powerful figure.

Indeed, many Penangites admire his guts to take on federal leaders on certain issues and he has done relatively well in administering the state.

Flood is not a new phenomenon since it also occurred during the previous Barisan Nasional administration but Lim is getting the most blame now for allegedly allowing over-development, especially on the island.

The media and politicians know that Lim has a strong personality and once he makes a decision, he would carry it through despite stiff objections from NGOs and politicians from the other side.

Some believe the pressure exerted by Friends of Penang Hill led to then Chief Minister (Tun) Dr Lim Chong Eu losing his Padang Kota seat in the 1990 general election as many did not want a section of the hill to be developed.

Penangites are a critical lot and they have voted out chief ministers – Tan Sri Wong Pow Nee who lost in the Bukit Mertajam state seat in 1969 and Dr Lim.

Lim’s predecessor from Gerakan, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, contested the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat in 2008 and lost to Dr P. Ramasamy.

Despite the landslide, floods and other issues, Lim and other DAP leaders are upbeat that Penang would continue to be their fortress since the people are said to be angry over some federal issues.

But some Penangites are getting restless and feel that the DAP leaders in their second term in office are fast losing touch with the people on the ground.

Developers of mega projects, property players and contractors may have voting rights but ultimately, the silent majority in Penang will decide whether Lim and his party deserve another term in office.