Just another headline

Another major disaster - by Malaysian standard- has hit the suburb Kay El in the early Saturday morning that graced all local mainstream newspapers' headline today. Even though this catastrophe was quite predictable and can be considered as an annual event in the calendar of these residents, many reacted with total disbelieve and shock. Many families mourned for the lost of their loved one and belonging. Imagine in split seconds, you lost everything and striped down to your underwear.

Frankly speaking, I am not shock at all. In fact I am angry and frustrated by our own idiosyncratic behavior and a total disrespect to our mother nature. Over the years, I observed our nasi-lemak nation was so passionate in developing the highlands for a mere unobstructive and exclusive view of KL twin tower, leveling the hills so flat you can slide on it and chopping down trees like hungry termites. At one time I almost thought that these nincompoops were color blind because among all the colors, green was not their favorite one.

No one were to be blamed for these natural disaster even though some call it the act of God (now they are blaming God), but I can rest assure our policy makers, poticians, greedy developers are having tough time sleeping in their bed, knowing thousands homeless highlanders are now cursing on them.

You see, these hills, hinglands and forest with balanced ecosystem are natural water catchment area. It is just like a big spongebob that absorb and store water and then disperse it slowly into the environment. At the same time these ecosystem is also a big water purification system. Once you meddle with these mother nature, you will pay for it. The mother nature award our greed with flash flood (so that we can build SMART tunnel), landslides (for bobsledging enthusiast), polluted rivers (that is probably where mamak restaurants get their supply of their infamous teh tarik), water shortage etc.

The problem is, our policy makers, politician, developers etc., they hate sciences and probably "tuang" the class during the lesson. Because they thought sciences are for geeks. Money and cents are the priority. But at least some common senses and social responsibility will do. What happen to the compulsory Environmental Assesesment Impact (EIA or Penilaian Impak Alam Sekitar) report which was normaly carried out by experts and forward to these people before any devlopment can take place?

The best policy for us now is to caveat emptor (translates as "lu pikir lah sendiri") because we, a nasi-lemak nation, after a while, is always tend to forget and then forgive easily....until another disaster knock at the door again.