Hold those who are in breach of the law accountable

CONFUSED Kuala Lumpur

IT was reported in “DOE rejected developer’s application” ( The Star, Oct 13) that “the developer’s application to build a residential project at the site of a massive landslide that took the lives of nine construction workers was rejected by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry”.

It was also reported that the Chief Minister of Penang said the “Penang Commission of Inquiry will conduct a full and independent investigation to determine the cause of the incident”, “It was a construction site mishap, Lim insists”.

Lim “added that until the commission issues its findings, the developer will be blacklisted and will not be allowed to continue work”.

Whatever conclusion the investigation draws, it would seem that the developer has been operating illegally, for which the owners or directors of the company should be held accountable.

The fact that the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry rejected the developer’s application to build at the site means that, whatever the commission’s findings, the developer should not be allowed to continue work.

Or am I missing something? Hold accountable those found to be in breach of regulations. Alternatively, forget about regulation altogether and let the developers do as they please.

Anything in between is merely a waste of time and money.