The Pahang sultan has reportedly lashed out again over the Cameron Highlands landslide, this time training his fury at Environment Minister G Palanivel for being "not serious" about the tragedy.

Sultan Ahmad Shah was reported in Umno-owned Berita Harian today reprimanding Palanivel, who is also Cameron Highlands MP, for not being serious about the incidents, in a front-page article 'What is Palanivel doing?'.

"What has he done? Nothing... the people are suffering mentally and physically when such a tragedy happens.

"The people voted and chose him during the last election; is this what he gives them?" Sultan Ahmad Shah was quoted saying.

"Tell him to do something about it immediately," he added.

Yesterday the Pahang ruler was upset over land clearing in the mountain resort district.

His ire comes after a deadly mudslide in Cameron Highlands, the third this year, which killed five people, including a 13-year-old student.

Last October , a flood in Bertam Valley in the area took four lives but no one has reportedly been held accountable since the tragedy.

The sultan said Palanivel should go to the ground and visit his own constituency, and not only make an appearance when the general election approaches.

The monarch lamented that despite two previous incidents of mudslides and landslides, nothing has been done to avert the problem and stop it from recurring.

“Tell the minister to give priority to his constituency first. Do not only come when there is an election.” he was reported saying.

He warned Palanieval to resolve the problem lest the people not reelect him as an MP in the next general election.

Palanieval was rejected as BN's candidate for the Hulu Selangor by-election in 2010 following the death of its MP Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

Instead BN fielded a newcomer P Kamalanathan. The MIC president eventually allowed to contest the Cameron Highlands seat in the 2014 general election.

Following the present disaster, Cameron Highlands residents have petitioned Palanivel as well as DAP Tanah Rata assemblyperson Leong Ngah Ngah for a meeting.

Mipas: What about state responsibility?

Meanwhile Malaysian Indians Progressive Association (Mipas) has come to Palanivel's defence, pointing out that the issue of recurring landslides was under the state government's responsibility.

"It is not fair to blame Palanivel. What happened to the Pahang MB and the state government's responsibility?" asked Mipas Secretary General S Barathidasan in a statement today.

"Land issues are under the state government's responsibility," he stressed.

His response follows a flood of criticism from MIC strategic director Vell Paari who said Palanivel ( right ) is unfit to head the Environment Ministry as well as the party.

Vell also slammed Palanivel for being absent when the sultan visited the disaster area yesterday as well as during the last incident.

"This a violation of protocol and respect accorded to the ruler," Vell said in a strongly worded statement calling for Palanivel to step down.

In another report in The Star , the sultan said he has also directed that all illegal agriculture in the popular highland resort be stopped immediately, complaining it has been happening for a long time since the British occupation era.

“I hope the federal government will do something to alleviate the problem as they have all the equipment, and urge that they disburse the balance of the RM38 million to deepen the Sungai Bertam estuary,” the English daily quoted him saying.

Meanwhile in Berita Harian , the sultan denied earlier reports that the palace had issued yellow letters of support to open the land there to agriculture.

“I do not know about it, and if I know, I will punch him (the person who had issued such letters),” he was reported saying.

New Straits Times and Berita Harian last week reported the issuance of such letters allegedly from the Pahang palace that had allowed land there to be developed illegally.

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