SHAH ALAM: The government will consider long-term efforts for the care of trees, especially older ones, without relying solely on cutting them down, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister, said there is coordination between the federal and state governments through local authorities to examine how to care for and preserve older trees with high value.
"However, from a practical standpoint, we need to see how long-term efforts can be made to ensure these trees are not cut down.
"It should involve specific methods to ensure the trees remain and do not pose a danger to the surrounding community or people passing the area in question," he told reporters after opening the 2024 History and National Unity Convention titled "Tracing History: Building National Unity" here on Thursday (Sept 19).
He was commenting on the incident in George Town, Penang, on Wednesday (Sept 18) where uprooted trees crushed a car, killing a man and his daughter, who were tourists from China.
Earlier on Thursday, the Fire and Rescue Department said it received 2,575 emergency calls related to fallen trees between January and July this year, with Selangor recording the highest number.
In a statement, it said there were 441 cases of fallen trees in Selangor, followed by 321 in Perak and 264 in Sarawak, with eight fatalities, 27 injured and 37 safe.
On another matter, Ahmad Zahid said the role of the Social Welfare Department needs to be enhanced in all aspects of child care, including issues related to Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holdings (GISBH), to ensure character development is not neglected, enabling their future to be rebuilt.
When asked if the government would review guidelines for establishing charitable homes, Ahmad Zahid said the Cabinet has discussed the matter and is considering different aspects of task allocation according to the scope of agencies and departments.
"We leave it to the Royal Malaysia Police to address criminal aspects and the Islamic Development Malaysia Department (Jakim) and state religious departments to handle matters of faith or beliefs. Welfare is under the Social Welfare Department and this aspect is important to provide continuity for these children.
"In my opinion, the Education Ministry or the Higher Education Ministry can address educational aspects for these children, especially in academics or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes, to ensure they have their own future and are not bound by what they experienced in the organisation," he said.
On July 11, the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department raided charitable homes allegedly linked to GISBH in Selangor and Negri Sembilan, rescuing 201 males and 201 females, aged between one and 17 years, suspected to have been abused. - Bernama
