Yet another tragedy occurred at Hulu Klang in the form of another landslide. The merry-go-round of passing the buck has begun. The Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) are blaming the developer and the housebuyers and likewise the housebuyers are blaming the developer and MPAJ. This merry-go-round is nothing uncommon in Malaysia.

What caught my eye, however, is a report in a local paper that MPAJ president Ahmad Shafii Saidin mentioned that the developer of the houses in Taman Zooview which is sitting above Kampong Pasir did not have certificates of fitness for the houses.

The president further blamed the developer and the housebuyers, indirectly blaming them for causing the landslide. I find this statement by the president a disgrace and he should be removed from office immediately.

The MPAJ are the local authorities for Ampang and among others, it is their duty to ensure compliance of building by laws. It is trite law and I am sure the council president is aware that it is an offence to occupy a building, and in this case the residential premises, that does not possess a certificate of fitness for occupation. The occupiers can be prosecuted and fined. What I would like to know is what had the MPAJ done to prevent the house buyers from occupying their Taman Zooview units?

I find the statement particularly irritating because the MPAJ is very efficient in going around the housing estates in Ampang penalising houseowners that built minor extensions and hassling coffee-shop owners for placing chairs and tables on the pavements.

Sure, these people are wrong and have contravened the law and must be punished. But why have the residents of Taman Zooview not been penalised for occupying unfit houses? Why has no action been taken against the developer by the MPAJ? The MPAJ was also fully aware that the retaining wall built by the developer was not according to specification. Why was no action taken by the MPAJ to arrest the problem immediately?

The council president may challenge the housebuyers and the developer to sue the MPAJ, after all our courts may decree that the MPAJ could jolly well be guilty, they are immune from prosecution as in the Highlands Towers case .

So the MPAJ president may hide under the 'sarong' of the Highlands Tower case but I just cannot imagine how he can sleep peacefully at night when he is not also not free from blame over the loss of lives in Kampong Pasir.