It is with great regret that the High Court has rejected the people will’s to be heard over a controversial development on Bukit Gasing. The writing is on the wall for this development. There will be blood on their hands be it the judge who rejected the people’s application, the Kuala Lumpur mayor (as the servant of the rakyat), the developers and also those potential buyers of this controversial development.

No matter how much has been said about preserving this pristine green lung, money and greed makes us all blind including all of those mentioned above. Bukit Gasing is among the few pristine green lungs left in Kuala Lumpur. For decades the debate has been whether it is safe to build on this hill.

The answer is obvious looking at the track record of landslides that have occurred in various parts of the country where development has taken place on hillside slopes. What guarantee can the judge who made this decision, the mayor, the developer give to the existing residents that this development will be safe and not cause any landslides? Will they be there to count the bodies when the damage is done?

Do we have to wait for another tragedy to happen and then hype about the safety of building on a hill slope and then make an about turn and pass another development order on another hill slope and then try to destroy more peoples’ lives?

This seems to be the intention of all these above-mentioned people. The developer would be laughing all the way to the bank, there will be no collateral damage to the mayor or DBKL or to the judge to have made this decision. Well, they probably do not even live there to sense the imminent danger. So what is it to them when the lives of people are put to risk and the body count begins.

The proximity of a Hindu Sivan temple to the proposed site is less the 300 meters. The extensions done on this temple have already caused serious landslides and it is only a matter of time when a major landslide occurs that will bring down tonnes of soil and destroy everything in its path. There is also a reservoir on the top of the hill which houses 21 million gallons of water.

Are we waiting for a inland mini- tsunami ? Are the people above going to be there to count the bodies? I guess they would have moved on to greener pastures. The people have a right to be heard if they are facing a risk to their lives. When will the agencies and the government start listening to the voices of the people rather then to the deafening sound of wads of money.

Is this really necessary? Imagine the damage to the environment which our government is supposedly strongly against. The problem is that there are people out there who go out doing the exact opposite thing, destroying a sanctuary for flora and fauna probably the last one in the Klang Valley.

The time has come for the people to voice their discontent over this decision. We urge all concerned parties to continue their battle against this ill-conceived development. No one has a right to put our lives at stake. Only God has that right.

This has to be stopped. I call on all the relevant agencies, ministries and even the prime minister to put a stop to this possible disaster. Remember, the blood will be on their hands.