KUALA LUMPUR: Budget 2027 should place greater emphasis on prevention by investing in measures to reduce accidents, illnesses, pollution and disasters, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
The Alliance for a Safe Community chairman said the government’s consultation provided an opportunity to elevate safety, health and environmental protection on the national agenda.
“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 when contacted.
Lee proposed the establishment of a National Safety Prevention Fund to support preventive programmes covering road and workplace safety, school safety, public infrastructure, disaster preparedness and community safety.
He also called for greater funding to address road accident black spots, improve pedestrian facilities, road maintenance, street lighting and road markings, as well as introduce more traffic-calming measures.
Lee said employers should be encouraged to implement commuting safety programmes, particularly for motorcycle users with commuting safety increasingly recognised as part of occupational safety and health.
On workplace safety, he called for more resources to strengthen inspections and enforcement by the Occupational Safety and Health Department, especially among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and high-risk sectors such as construction, manufacturing, logistics and transportation.
Lee said workplace mental health should also be treated as an integral component 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.
Lee also urged the government to invest substantially in climate adaptation and disaster prevention, warning that Malaysia must prepare for more frequent and severe floods, landslides, heatwaves and other climate-related risks.
He proposed more allocations for early-warning systems, flood mitigation, slope monitoring, climate-resilient infrastructure and community disaster preparedness.
On air pollution, Lee urged the government to expedite a comprehensive Clean Air Act, saying recurring haze and air pollution demonstrated the need for stronger legislation and enforcement.
He said Budget 2027 should provide sufficient resources for air-quality monitoring, industrial emission controls, enforcement against open burning and research into the health impacts of air pollution.
