I find two statements by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi with regard to the Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy quite baffling.

First, while visiting the site of the tragedy, Abdullah told developers to stop lobbying for approval of their projects, and yesterday he ruled out the complete banning of hillside developments because this would deprive the people of choice.

Am I correct in assuming that while the local councils, city hall and perhaps the state governments, are trying to do a good job to protect the hillsides, some developers (sometimes developers and politicians are the same people), have a way of lobbying (and God forbid bribing) all their way to the top?

I wonder how many hillside projects were approved by way of lobbying the very top tier of the government, rendering all the planning laws and local planning authorities useless.

Since all political parties and political leaders need to build up their 'war chests', I can bet that the Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy will repeat itself all over the country.

Thus, the councils and the state governments who always get the blame when a tragedy strikes, can only look and say ‘yes’ to any phone calls from the top ordering such projects to be approved.

In a civilised society, the local planning authority is the sole authority who can approve or reject proposals for housing projects, supermarkets, etc, taking into account the threat to the environment, the interests of the local community, traffic safety, etc.

Of course, developers can appeal but after the decision has been made, the arguments are stacked against them. In these countries, a neighbour is not even allowed to plant a tall tree if the neighbours feel that it may block their view, impede air circulation, etc.

In Malaysia, everyone knows that the joy of buying a home surrounded by hills and greenery may be short-lived. However, instead of enjoying life after retirement, this so-called privileged group may instead be fighting battles against unscrupulous developers.

The prime minister’s second statement that banning hillside developments would deprive (rich) people from having a house with a nice view, breathing fresh air, etc, is ridiculous.

Is Abdullah saying that the government is only interested in the welfare of the rich and can’t be bothered about the plight of the poor?

What Abdullah is effectively saying is that in a market system like Malaysia, the government must only protect the elite one percent of society because they are the ones who are generating wealth for the country, whereas the 99 percent are nothing but parasites and freeloaders.

Truthfully, I find that from time to time, statements from our leaders can be quite mind-boggling.