Mud floods: The real culprit is corruption

DAP’s M Manogaran says it is an open secret that the land office and the Municipal Council are corrupt.

PETALING JAYA: DAP member M Manogaran has fingered the Land Office and Municipal Council in Cameron Highlands for being corrupt and allowing the horrific mud floods to occur last week in which five people were killed and hundreds evacuated.

In a statement, Manogaran said, “It is open knowledge that the land office and the Majlis are corrupted.

“Illegal land clearing is rampant. Uncontrolled land clearing is permitted under the guise of development.”

He also attacked Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob for merely playing the blame game by saying residents dumping trash into the river resulted in waters bursting its banks during heavy rainfall.

“This is an attempt to sweep the problem under the carpet. The problem is more than that. The real culprit is the land office and the local authority.”

He also had some harsh words for current MP of Cameron Highlands, G. Palanivel who he said was simply engaging in “fire fighting” while the previous MP “should have seen these tragedies coming Cameron Highland’s way but did not see it.”

Saying Cameron Highlands was “facing such serious threats”, Manogaran pointed out that approximately 30 landslides had occurred from Tapah all the way to the top.

He also lamented that the authorities had not even bothered to close the roads until today.

He added, “It is not the rain (that caused the landslides) but clearing and disturbances to the hills which are not done properly and without expert advice.”

Saying the “blame game” had to stop, Manogaran added, “Make all parties who have a stake in Cameron Highlands come together to map out a comprehensive plan for Cameron Highlands, especially land clearing matters to tackle the problems.”