Sahabat Alam Malaysia honorary secretary Meenakshi Raman said the incident could have been avoided if the authorities had been steadfast in their duty.
“It is not enough just to issue letters to the contractors involved. There is clearly wilful non-compliance by the contractors, and negligence and failure on the part of the authorities.
“Saying letters were issued does not absolve the authorities of their responsibilities. They should ensure the measures taken are given the seriousness they deserve. This requires follow-up monitoring to ensure enforcement,” she said when contacted yesterday.
Meenakshi said while the state insists on self-regulation on the part of developers and contractors in their projects, the current laws were not stiff enough to deter them from doing as they liked.
She said contractors, including the holding companies, should be held liable and given stiff penalties as a deterrent for environmental crimes.
“These are environmental crimes that require strong and deterrent sentences instead of fines, which can be paid off easily.
“The contractors’ names should be disclosed and blacklisted from future awards of contracts. The state should also act against the officers and heads of departments who fail to act by taking stern action and making them liable,” she said.
Meenakshi also called for the amendment of laws pertaining to compensation for families of the deceased workers, saying the current stipulated payout was too low.
She said the compensation amount of a maximum of RM23,000 under the Workmen’s Compensation Act 1952 was outdated and should be revised to a more acceptable rate.
“The families of the victims must be adequately compensated,” she added.
Penang Forum steering committee member Lim Mah Hui meanwhile urged the Penang government to reveal its audit on hill development sites over the years, following claims that it had been keeping a close watch on the hills.
He said since the state government claimed to have followed its self-imposed hillside development guidelines to a T, the records, including where and when these studies were done, ought to be released.
He also noted that the state government had in November last year introduced a new Geotechnical Consultancy Unit (GCU) at the Penang Island City Council to monitor hill slopes.
Lim said the GCU was meant to emulate Hong Kong’s Geotechnical Engineering Office, but fell short of having a capable workforce in quality and numbers.
He said while the formation of the GCU was admirable, the reality on the ground was different.
“The current GCU is made up of only three to four junior officers. Compare that to Hong Kong, which has over 200 people, with each hill slope assigned to one person.
“We are not asking for 200, but at least enough to look at our large expanse of hills on the island,” Lim said when contacted.
He also said it appeared that the local authorities had yet to learn from the Tanjung Bungah landslide which claimed the lives of 11 last October.
He asked if authorities had indeed conducted spot checks after receiving a note from Penang Hills Watch, a crowdsourced platform for the public to submit hill-clearing pictures.
He also criticised the recent statement by a government official that it was “out of his jurisdiction” to dictate hill clearing activities, saying it showed a lack of proper coordination between technical agencies.
Lim said the remark also showed clear gaps and overlapping of jurisdiction in monitoring and enforcing rules on hillside developments.
“Now they appear to be passing the buck. They simply can’t get their act together. They can’t explain why, for two years, the whole Bukit Kukus hill was left exposed.”
He also said the public had lost faith in the authorities’ ability to embark on the construction of 70km of new roads under the Penang Transport Master Plan and the creation of three islands through reclamation.