NST Monday, November 22 2004

Letters to the editor

This open letter is in response to callous remarks made by a senior state government official during his visit to my home in Taman Harmonis, Gombak, Selangor, the morning following the landslide on the night of Nov 5, in which my family and I suffered the loss of our precious and beloved daughter, Haseenah.

The official remarks that “disasters like this can be avoided if landowners who build their houses on hill-slopes seek approval first”(NST,Nov 7). He went on to say that “we have many times reminded hill-slope landowners to submit their structural plans to their municipal councils for approval, but many areas are developed prior to approval, while some do not even submit their structure plans”.

I am shocked by the statements. They attempt to insinuate that I was negligent and, therefore, responsible for the tragedy, and that the tragedy could have been averted had I done what I was supposedly required to do.

My family and I are very private people. We accept the loss of Haseenah as Allah SWT’s will, and seek only from Him strength and tranquillity to recover from our grief and loss.  Had it not been for the irresponsible and erroneous statements that were made, I would not be writing this letter, and we would have striven to move on and grieve for our loss privately.

But the statements were made, and I have no choice but to respond – to set the record straight, and insyaAllah, in my own little way, to plead, demand and assert the reasonable expectations of power and authority exercise care and humility in their actions and utterances.

Firstly, it deeply saddens me and my family that anyone at all could make such statements only hours after the loss of our child.
Common decency, compassion or even a little humility would suggest how callous and inappropriate such statements would be.
I can only wonder at the official’s motive in coming to the site of the tragedy and making his insinuation. I did not expect any words of comfort or compassion, but neither did I expect him to make unfounded insinuations. It would have sufficed if he had merely said an immediate investigation would be carried out.

Secondly and most importantly, the statements were completely erroneous and misleading. I wish to clarify here that I have complied with all laws and regulations in the construction of my home. Our home was built in 1999 on a piece of land with agricultural status. The law allows for the constructions of a single dwelling on agricultural land without the need to submit structural plans. Regardless of that, as an experienced, certified and practising civil engineer, who has been entrusted with the design of many complex structures, I have taken great care in ensuring the structural integrity of my own home and its compound. The house was in fact deliberately over-designed, making it structurally much stronger than conventional homes. Had this not been the case, the entire house would have been flattened almost instantly, and the tragedy would have been worse.

Thirdly, a cursory assessment of the area immediately shows that the landslide originated from a development project uphill, two lots away from my property. The origin and path of the landslide was plain for all to see. It is obvious that the cause of the landslide had nothing to do with my property. It was just unfortunate that my property tragically lay in its path. The landslide was the result of the failure of a retaining wall at the project site. The evidence of the cause of the landslide is clear, and the truth will prevail. No design code in the world nor any amount of structural over-design could have countered the forces exerted by the landslide. Any house in the same place would have collapsed. While we reiterate that our family accepts and submits to the will of Allah, we also do not wish that the loss of our dear daughter be in vain.

Let there be lessons gleaned from this tragedy that can help with the progress and development of our nation. We hope a thorough investigation will be conducted, the findings published and, most importantly, that these will result in improved regulations and improved enforcement of regulations on the matter of hillside development. The issue goes beyond approval of structure plans. After all, two well-known and similar tragedies in the past involved buildings with approved structural plans. Consideration of hillside development must take into account the potential impact on surrounding areas, not just the specific structural plan. We look forward to the constructive outcome of this investigation. At this juncture, I am seeking and demanding the following:

• That the official in question tenders a public apology to me and my family for the insinuations that were expressed; and,
• That following the completion of investigation, the actual party or parties responsible for the tragedy be held accountable.

Finally, I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the professionals from SMART, Fire and Rescue Department, Malaysian Red Crescent Society, Civil Defence Department, Police, Putrajaya Rescue 911, 991 Rescue Team and the Selayang Municipal Council for their invaluable assistance during the recovery operations.

Your expertise and courage was of invaluable help in our time of bereavement.

We also thank all family, friends, neighbours and strangers who came forward to help in so many ways. We are deeply touched by the support we have received.

AZMAN AHMAD
Kuala Lumpur