Buck for Cameron Highlands disaster never stops with BN

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YOURSAY 'We will wait for the next big incident and see the denials ... The buck apparently doesn't stop anywhere but keeps getting passed.'

Alarm over Bertam flood risk raised years ago

Shrek: The Bertam Valley flash flood was a man-made disaster. Mother nature had given enough clues what was about to happen. But we fail to take it seriously in due time. Like always, we take things for granted and react only after the damage has been done.

For god's sake, that is not the only dam that we have here in this lovely country. Be heedful. Or we will be damned by mother nature once again.

YUNoAnon: It looks like there's a case for negligence. People living around the Bertam valley may be a problem, but it is the government's responsibility to warn them before they started to settle there.

Furthermore, with all the case studies, research and simulations done showing nearly the exact same results, why has nothing ever been done?

That is the problem with Malaysia. People are forever reactive. When the shit hits the fan, that's when they start throwing up plans, form committees, ready a 'special task force', all just to show they mean business.

But if you're like me and other right-thinking people, we all know all this drama is for naught. In the end, it will all go under the carpet and we are back to square one.

Cry, My Beloved Country: Surely this is yet another example of utter, utter irresponsibility bordering on criminality. The government, its agencies, its officials must be held fully accountable for the callous disregard for human safety.

It is not as if they did not know. How about the other dams in the country? Are adequate safety measures in place?

Bystander: Doesn't it sound so familiar? Every time disasters strike there would always be an initial hue and cry and lots of suggestions to set things in motion but merely for damage control. Only now they want to do this and that.

Just like the security guards with faked ID cards who killed a bank employee and are now on the run. My contention is why is the government always not pro-active?

Shouldn't the Home Ministry be responsible or was the minister busy with so many unrelated issues with his finger-pointing demeanour?

NCRWarrior: In Sarawak, CM Abdul Taib Mahmud is still obsessed to build 12 new mega dams throughout the state apart from the already completed two mega dams - Batang Ai dam and Bakun dam.

And logging, plantation activities are going all out around the dam sites particularly in the water catchment areas. Taib and his BN leaders and crony companies are not bothered about risks to human life.

They are just obsessed to make more money and the dam constructions are their ATM cards. Just look at the companies of Taib's children and relatives - many of which are direct suppliers of cement, steel bars and power cables for these dams, and even building access roads and infrastructure at resettlement sites for the forcibly displaced natives.

Oldman57: There is no culture of responsibility or accountability by the administration, which is why disasters repeat. Not only this tragedy, but past ones like the bus crashes, etc, are doomed to be repeated again and again.

Anonymous_40f4: The Umno government has got no time to think about impeding disasters. They are busy playing politics to retain power and make more money. They are now very busy in Sg Limau dishing out goodies for votes in the by-election.

They don't even bother to attend Parliament. They are untouchable. Maybe when the ‘wakil rakyat' for Bertam Valley dies, the BN politicians will arrive with all sorts of promises and goodies and ang pows for Chinese schools and farmers.

Southpaw: Where is Cameron Highlands MP G Palanivel? He's been a no show since the disaster.

He probably thinks that since he's only got a slim majority in winning the parliamentary seat, he'll only help in areas where he received the most votes; and, Ringlet probably is not one of those areas.

Stried: This is a typical Malaysian attitude - someone must die, only then action would be taken. Similarly, I am waiting for a slope failure in Bukit Gasing before the authorities will take action against the hillslope developer.

Stories: This is how the country is run. We've got BN, so live with it. I guarantee this disaster will be a footnote in no time. We will wait for the next big incident and see the denials and promises by the so-called authorities.

The buck apparently doesn't stop anywhere but keeps getting passed.

Sad Malaysian: What the MIC MP doing all this time? Approving deforestation?


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