Message to Selangor State Exco: Stop the Band Aid "Guidelines" Solution, Get Serious with the Root Cause of the Problem

        I am truly bemused with all the 'band aid' solutions such as the proposal to formulate guidelines for camping activities by the Selangor state government after the Batang Kali tragedy which took more than 20 lives. 

        Soon, there will be guidelines and maybe licenses on jungle trekking, freshwater and deep sea fishing, hiking, jogathon and walkaton activities, if this is the way our authorities react to situations. 

        Unlike Minister of Local Government and Development minister Nga Kor Ming who took the humanitarian approach by visiting rescue personnel in the hospitals and attending memorial services to be with the mourners, I can only cringe at the way how the other politicians start their circus performance. 

Guidelines and More Guidelines

        There are already so many guidelines and regulations drafted one after another such as the guidelines on gated and guarded community, but are these guidelines and regulations being followed? There are also guidelines about slope management, but who is there to supervise? 

        Local Council enforcement teams are sent out on patrol, but what are they doing on the ground? Do the Council presidents even go down to the ground to check on their men? What about the state exco in charge of the local authorities, how often are they on the ground to see what is happening?

        While guidelines are useful in the event of a dispute, it is more of the local councils that have failed to resolve the issues faced by the citizens. Despite complaints being raised to the state government, how often are these disputes resolved? 

        I can testify from my own experience that both Menteri Besar Amirudin and Selangor State Exco for Local government, public transport and new village development, Ng Sze Han are never bothered with people's complaints. This is after two years of follow up on some issues at every level of both local and state governments using diplomatic channels. 

       Instead of wasting time on cosmetics, Ng should look into the backyard and start working on the number of issues being raised, including one regarding the gated and guarded community which have been left unresolved, despite his knowledge of these problems. 

        I know, for example, residents of Taman Bukit Melawati in Ampang have disputes with their residents associations wanting to collect RM700 a month. This is based on the input from a resident. 

        They were hopeful to resolve the problem after a meeting with Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, but till today, the matter is still a thorn in the flesh of these residents.

        I had only recently met up with our newly-elected Member of Parliament, Gobind Singh Deo who promises that he would get the local authorities after the festive season to look into all the complaints raised in the past two years. I will, of course, give credit to whom credit is due, but unfortunately it is neither Amiruddin nor Ng at the moment. 

Guidelines Not the Solution

        Guidelines for camping activities should have been formulated a long time ago. In fact, just a Google search will yield many useful guidelines, whether written or unwritten rules of camping as an outdoor activity. 

        After all, camping is nothing new and if Ng cares to ask around, there are many experts who can give him a whole long list of guidelines. 

        Therefore, the idea of coming out with the guidelines now in the aftermath of the Batang Kali tragedy simply shows that the state government is not serious about the root cause of the problem. 

        Merely drafting more guidelines would not ensure that more landslides and mudslides will not happen again similar to the Batang Kali tragedy and another national disaster some 20 years ago in 1996, killing at least 15 people at the Pos Dipang Orang Asli settlement near Kampar in Perak.

        At the end of the day, we just point the finger at each other and worse, to blame it as an act of God, when the truth is we continue to damage our environment to the point that we are all suffering as a result of climatic change.

         It is sad that, after a tragedy like this happens, the state and local governments only find easy scapegoats instead of looking at their own actions in approving land clearing and deforestation activities, and giving out licenses for more quarries such as what the environmentalists are now highlighting about the additional quarries in Bukit Lagong. 

        This is not only happening in Selangor but also in a number of other states such as Pahang, Perak and Kelantan, where deforestation has caused degradation of our living environment. It not only affects us, but also the animals as their habitat is being encroached. 

        For several months now, both Amirudin and State Exco for Environment, Green Technology and Consumer Affairs, Science, Technology and Innovation, Hee Loy Sian have been inundated with lots of questions on quarry licenses being issued on Bukit Lagong, which both Amirudin and Hee have failed to respond.

        Over 300,000 people have signed a petition against the proposed degazettment of 70 acres of land within Bukit Lagong in 2018. I think enough people have been made aware through this petition.

Anwar and Two DPMs Must Do Something

        It is time that Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim should also be made aware that as many as 21 licenses have been issued without even an open tender by the Menteri Besar of Selangor. 

        NGOs want Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad to intervene with the Selangor issue with quarry licenses, but if, even William Leong has been unable to get Amirudin to respond, who else can, except Anwar? 

        Anwar should also investigate into why some royal family members have been dragged into the controversy to see if the offer had been made by the current or the previous Menteri Besar of Selangor, in order to make it appear as if these have the consent of the palace. I doubt it! 

        It appears more like an offer given, and an offer accepted since it is given, without knowing the implications. We all know how politicians like to come under the covering of the palace in whatever decisions they make themselves. 

        If the current state exco is allowed to continue on its full term, Pakatan Harapan risks losing the state either in the coming or next state election. What Selangor needs are people who are hardworking, and believe in sustainable development. 

        It is not only the rakyat or environment NGOs who are making noise. Despite efforts made by the Selayang MP, William Leong to have Selangor State Government being transparent about the issuance of the quarry licenses before the 15th General Election, till today, I know the NGOs on saving Bukit Lagong are still not getting any answers. 

        A former OTAI Reformasi secretary, Abdul Razak Ismail who requested information about the quarry licenses under the Freedom of Information which Selangor has enacted was suprised to receive a response from the state saying that the issue was under Official Secrets Act (OSA). 

        An unhappy Abdul Razak has also lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in October this year, but till now, there is still no update whatsoever from the MACC. 

        In the weeks ahead, the Selangor state government can expect more such news reports, especially since people are now becoming more aware of the damage caused to the environment.

        Enough has been said, it is time for the federal government to step in and put a moratorium to land clearing, deforestation and quarrying activities. 

        And, in one particular case in another state, if the peacemaking process currently undertaken by a senior cabinet member of the unity government is unsuccessful, the public will become more aware of yet another case of public interest, once it is brought before the court. 

        Instead of being a contributor to the state's economy, both parties will suffer from the legal battle. And more NGOs will surely jump into the bandwagon at a time when the country is already undergoing economic slowdown. It is the people who are suffering. 

        While on the guidelines and the landslides, I received a link in another chat group which points to another set of activities somewhere in Bentong, which I believe only the experts can interpret but such things are not uncommon in our tropical rainforests. 

        Is the Pahang state government aware that it is such activities that can rob future generations of the tropical rainforests which we inherited from our fathers? The person who posted the link even said that a friend stumbled upon this while doing a search for mining activites in Bentong. Click on this to view: https://maps.app.goo.gl/fRFU27X2DsMBwEAp7?g_st=iw 

        The environment NGOs have an important role to play to highlight issues involving deforestation, land clearing and quarrying activities in order to keep the state governments in check. 

        They are not necessarily anti-governments or political stooges, but they are concerned about unsustainable development. They provide a check-and-balance on the executive branch of government to make sure that we have sustainable development.   

        If NGOs and government MPs are not ignored, do our governments want to hear louder voices from the Opposition? 

        I am surprised that even state assemblymen such as Salehuddin Amiruddin have highlighted that the quarrying activities on Bukit Lagong could worsen floods in Kampung Gombak, Kampung Sungai Serai, Kampung Melayu Sri Kundang, and Kampung Damai.

        So, let me ask Ng once again. Which is more important? Developing guidelines for camping activities or getting to the root of the problem?

        Has Selangor not learnt from the lessons from Bukit Botak which have been affected by deforestation, do we need to shave off the hair from Bukit Lagong as well especially after more quarry activities begin?