Gunung Jerai tragedy: Anwar urges Takiyuddin to act, not blame God
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has urged Energy and Natural Resources Minister Takiyuddin Hassan not to abuse the "act of God" in explaining environmental problems.
In a statement today, Anwar said he was not satisfied with Takiyuddin's reply to his question during the Gunung Jerai flash floods last month, which claimed six lives.
Anwar and Takiyuddin crossed swords on this issue in the...
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has urged Energy and Natural Resources Minister Takiyuddin Hassan not to abuse the "act of God" in explaining environmental problems.
In a statement today, Anwar said he was not satisfied with Takiyuddin's reply to his question during the Gunung Jerai flash floods last month, which claimed six lives.
The two lawmakers crossed swords on this issue in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, where Takiyuddin claimed there was no logging in Gunung Jerai and that the tragedy was "an act of God, fated by Allah".
Anwar said Takiyuddin's reply in the Dewan Rakyat did not take into account that the affected area was not within the Ulu Muda forest reserve and that Kedah has been prone to illegal forest encroachments.
He also cited Universiti Sains Malaysia hydrology expert Chan Ngai Weng, who stated that anthropogenic activities, such as forest-clearing, construction and agriculture, were mainly to blame for the incident.
"I urge the minister to be more serious in carrying out monitoring (of forest encroachments) and stop abusing the concept of fate because the main factor involved is human greed," the Port Dickson MP said.
On Aug 18, several villages at the foothill of Gunung Jerai were destroyed in a flash flood. The nearby town of Yan was also flooded.
Eyewitnesses described the event as a "mini tsunami".
Environmentalists have claimed that the evidence of timber, after the floodwaters resided, was proof of illegal logging.
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