Cases of landslides in Ulu Kelang are not new phenomena. As far as I can recall, they actually date back to as far as 1985 when two hilltop semi-detached houses in Taman Melawati collapsed. A bungalow house owned by a UKM university lecturer in Bukit Kemanshah collapsed a few days later. Sometime in 1987 a row of newly-completed double-story link houses collapsed in Bukit Antarabangsa but it was hushed-up by the developer for fear that it would adversely affect

sales.

In 1993, 56 lives perished when Block A of the Highland Towers collapsed. Sometime in 1999 there was a lot of publicity given to the precarious condition of the biggest condominium in Bukit Antarabangsa when the slope of the hill at the foot of the building badly eroded causing cracks to its basement. Occupants of the building were told to temporarily vacate.

In 2003, the house of Jen (R) Tan Sri Ismail Omar collapsed claiming eight lives. The latest incident in Kampong Pasir and Taman Zoo View which claimed another four lives are just new incidents in the same locality. All of these incidents took place in an area of less than 30 square kilometers in the municipality of Ampang Jaya. This brings the overall statistics of those who perished in these incidents to about 75 since 1985.

No less than five different reports were prepared by well-qualified professionals on some of these incidents. The cabinet has deliberated in no less than five different sessions and various decisions were made. Prime ministers from Dr Mahathir Mohamad to Pak Lah and Selangor menteri besars from Muhammad Muhd Taib to Dr Khir Toyo were involved in ensuring that appropriate measures were to be put in place and enforced to ensure that these incidents did not recur again. At one time, Works Minister S Samy Vallu announced that the cabinet had decided that no further developments on hill terrains would be allowed without prior approval from the relevant ministry.

Notwithstanding these rules, at least six new approvals were approved for hill terrain development in the last five years in Ulu Kelang alone and all of these are within the 30 square kilometer 'hot spots' referred to above.

Residents in the locality had raised their objections from time to time for many reasons, from obvious dangers to them and their families, to destruction of forest reserves, water-catchment areas and habitats of wildlife. Displaced animals such as monkeys, wild fowl, wild boars, porcupines and ant-eaters are known to have made their way into the compounds of residents in the locality.

The local authority, notwithstanding all these tragedies, continues to stubbornly do what is most expedient to themselves as individuals and has engaged the public into endless rhetoric and polemics through the mass media justifying approvals for hillside development made by them.

As usual the powers-that-be at the state legislative and federal levels choose to remain silent though they know that the local authority is talking nonsense. Indeed some of them violated earlier decisions made at their levels. They are therefore silent conspirators of a crime.

In the light of all these, whilst some say the MPAJ has been closing one eye, I would like to make a correction by saying that this local authority could have well been closing both eyes whilst opening their mouth wide to be fed by the profit-driven housing developers with handsome gratifications.

We were very sad indeed when Pak Lah himself in his reaction to these latest incidents in Kampong Pasir and Taman Zoo View appears to have regarded them as a new phenomena in Ulu Kelang and therefore requiring fresh studies and reports. New rules need to be drawn up and enforced, he said. In doing so, he has clearly demonstrated to us that he has overstayed his usefulness and relevance.

Not being the greatest admirer of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, I find it very sad in me having to be on the same side as him of late. In the case of Dr Mahathir, at least we know the person he is and therefore we have never been disappointed by him. In fact, in many instances he outperformed our expectations. As regards to Pak Lah, in the light of recent developments, one just cannot be but disillusioned and disenchanted.