BUDGET 2018 | Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak touched on the deadly Penang landslide in his Budget 2018 speech today, reading out a poem by Kepong MP Tan Seng Giaw on the tragedy.

The poem, which Tan posted on his Twitter account last Sunday is as follows.

Ibu jaga anak kan sakit (The mother takes care of the sick child)

Darah tubuh beban kesihatan, (The blood is a burden to the health)

Pemaju bina leretan bukit, (On hillsllopes developers build)

Tanah runtuh korban insan. (The earth crumbles lives are killed)

"What message Kepong really wished to send, only God knows," Najib said after reading out the poem.

Last Saturday, 11 people were killed in a landslide in Tanjung Bungah at the construction site of an affordable housing project.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said the project was not approved as there was no buffer zone between the construction site and a nearby granite quarry, making it dangerous for future inhabitants.

Penang mayor Maimunah Sharif, however, said the project was approved by the Mineral and Geoscience Department, and that the developer had complied with safety guidelines.

After reading out Tan's poem, Najib announced allocations aimed at ensuring "sustainable development."

This includes an RM5 billion allocation under the Green Technology Financing Scheme, to encourage investments in green technology.

He also announced that RM517 million would be allocated for flood mitigation planning across the country.

Malaysiakini's Budget 2018 microsite

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