KUALA LUMPUR: A National Safety Prevention Fund is needed to tackle risks before accidents, disasters, pollution and other crises occur, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
The Alliance for a Safe Community chairman said Budget 2027 should shift greater attention towards prevention rather than spending heavily on dealing with the consequences after lives, property and the environment have already been affected.
“The cost of preventing accidents, illnesses, pollution and disasters is far lower than the human and economic cost of dealing with their consequences,” he said in a statement on Thursday (Sept 24).
Lee said the proposed fund could support preventive programmes covering road and workplace safety, schools, public infrastructure, disaster preparedness and community safety.
He said the government’s consultation on Budget 2027 was an opportunity to place safety, health and environmental protection higher on the national agenda.
Among the areas requiring greater funding were road accident blackspots, pedestrian facilities, road maintenance, street lighting, road markings and traffic-calming measures.
Lee also called for employers to introduce commuting safety programmes, particularly for motorcyclists, saying commuting safety was increasingly recognised as part of occupational safety and health.
On workplace safety, he proposed more resources for the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) to strengthen inspections and enforcement, particularly among small and medium enterprises and high-risk sectors such as construction, manufacturing, logistics and transportation.
Tax incentives or grants should also be offered to encourage employers to invest in personal protective equipment, ergonomics, safety training and modern safety technology, he said.
Lee said workplace mental health should similarly be treated as part of occupational safety and health.
“Tax incentives or grants should encourage employers, especially SMEs, to introduce psychosocial-risk assessments, counselling, anti-bullying measures, employee assistance programmes and other workplace mental-health initiatives,” he said.
He also urged the government to substantially increase spending on climate adaptation and disaster prevention as Malaysia faced the risk of more frequent and severe floods, landslides, heatwaves and other climate-related events.
This should include greater allocations for early-warning systems, flood mitigation, slope monitoring, climate-resilient infrastructure and community disaster preparedness.
“We must move from a culture of responding to disasters to preventing and reducing disaster risks,” he said.
Lee said the same preventive approach should be adopted in tackling air pollution, calling for the government to expedite a comprehensive Clean Air Act.
He said recurring haze and air pollution showed the need for stronger legislation and enforcement, with Budget 2027 providing sufficient resources for air-quality monitoring, industrial emission controls, enforcement against open burning and research into the health impact of air pollution.
He also called for tougher enforcement against illegal dumping, river pollution, open burning and hazardous waste, together with stronger application of the “polluter pays” principle.
Local authorities, he said, should receive more funding to improve pedestrian facilities, street lighting, crossings, pavements and accessibility, particularly for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
Lee also proposed a Safe Schools Programme covering fire safety, emergency preparedness, playground and building safety, road safety, drowning prevention and mental-health support.
“Safety must become part of the culture of every school, not merely a response after an accident occurs,” he said.
Budget 2027 should also expand cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training among the public, workplaces, schools and community organisations, he added.
Lee proposed that all major public projects and programmes funded under Budget 2027 undergo a Safety, Health, Environment and Climate Resilience assessment.
He said government agencies should measure not only how much money was spent but also outcomes such as accidents prevented, lives protected, injuries reduced, pollution controlled and communities made more resilient.
“Budget 2027 should be a Budget that invests in prevention and protects lives.
“Every ringgit spent on prevention today can save many ringgit – and more importantly, many lives – tomorrow,” he said.
This version makes the fund the concrete news peg, while the rest of Lee’s proposals reinforce the prevention-before-consequences theme.
