The floods in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor, which followed the massive deluge in Selangor and other parts of the Klang Valley, brings to the fore the wanton rape of the environment.
This is especially evident in Pahang, where massive flooding submerged houses, inundated roads and washed down thousands of felled timber logs, choking the rivers and battering houses, causing untold damage and suffering to the common people.
Those believed to be responsible for this disaster – mainly due to their greed – are hypocritically silent, putting up pretenses and a facade of concern by visiting victims and handing out paltry sums in financial aid.
States rich in timber such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Kedah, Sabah, and Sarawak have seen this valuable natural resource being voraciously depleted without much thought to the sustainability of the environment.
Indiscriminate logging in these states have resulted in the loss of forest cover, which is crucial in water retention and in regulating the water run-off, causing floods and river pollution.
It was recently revealed that the National Forestry Council had allocated logging quotas for each state based on the principles of sustainability.
But are there any regulatory measures in place to ensure compliance to the allotted quota?
Would such measures, if they existed, curb, or prevent unauthorised logging?
It is an open secret that illegal logging have been carried out in these states, allegedly with the complicity of certain public officials. In some instances, even the good name of the palace has been dragged through the mud, with some irresponsible parties using them to carry out their illegal activities.
It is most unfortunate that logging activities that contravene the regulatory restrictions imposed by the authorities are given scant regard by these people who carry on with their activities with impunity.
Granted, logging provides a major portion of revenue for states like Kelantan, Pahang, Kedah, Sabah, and Sarawak, but it should be sustainable to preserve the environmental ecosystem.
The rape of the environment has resulted in dire consequences, causing untold suffering on the common people. Those who perpetrated this carnage are mostly unaffected by the calamities they caused, secure in their ‘safe zones’. They also have the financial means to meet the physical and economic challenges brought about by these disasters.
The people must now take charge because the authorities have failed them and were caught napping in the recent floods.
It was the people who helped each other, mounting rescue operations, and distributing food and essential supplies to the affected areas, while politicians were busy staging photo ops and “cashing in” on this disaster – by slapping on their pictures and party logos on food boxes and cash aid envelopes.
This unbridled rape of the environment must be stopped immediately. Those responsible must be brought to book.
However, the reality is, such measures and actions would not be forthcoming because the structure of our governance is rotten, and riddled with corrupt practices. There is also a lack of political will to prosecute the perpetrators of this carnage.
As such, the common man will continue to suffer because of the greed and avarice of the rich, powerful, and politically connected.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.
