make 2020 a safer year for all
AS we enter 2020, let every Malaysian resolve to make the country a safer place to live in, a place where good safety and health practices become a culture and way of life for all Malaysians.
We should not only be safe from terrorism, crime, drugs and violence but also from tragedies that are of our own doing, whether they be on the roads, in residential and public areas or at workplaces. In the days ahead, it is essential for every Malaysian to help “communitise”, or “memasyarakatkan”, safety and health so that all levels of society have a high level of awareness and give top priority to safety and health.
We must also take heed of one important lesson for humanity, and this is the fact that civilisation could be destroyed if we do not make peace with the environment. The fact that landslides and road cave-ins are a frequent occurrence points to our failure to make the culture of maintenance and safety a way of life.
We are responsible when buildings or structures collapse or the environment is harmed or accidents and fatalities occur at workplaces or elsewhere. We have to realise that any action that results in the degradation and destruction of our environment will have disastrous consequences. Similarly, if we do not efficiently manage occupational safety and health, accidents can occur at workplaces.
The fact that fatal accidents continue to occur on our roads and highways involving public transport vehicles and other vehicles clearly points to the need for more to be done to improve road safety and the attitude and behaviour of those at the wheel.
The government has spent billions on development but what is regrettable is the lack of maintenance. Every effort must be made to inculcate the culture of maintenance and safety, and those who are placed in charge must never shirk their responsibility.
More funding should be allocated for maintenance works with responsible and dedicated staff to handle them. It’s our responsibility as citizens to keep an eye on all public amenities and help the government maintain these facilities and infrastructure built for us by alerting the authorities to take remedial action when needed.
In this connection, it is time for the government and the public to declare a full scale war against vandalism, which has been identified as a contributary cause to the damage and destruction of many public amenities. This will help ensure that all facilities and infrastructure are well maintained and safe and, thus, prevent all forms of accidents.
In the past few years, there have been accidents reported in schools involving teachers, other staff and students. Some of them were fatal accidents. Although our living standards have improved, unfortunately our consciousness about safety is still unsatisfactory and not up to the mark . Fatal incidents, such as electrocution at home, children who lost their lives because of choking incidents, and drowning incidents involving teenagers all over the country, are a grim reminder to all that needs to be done to “communitise” safety. Many of these sad incidents can be reduced or even prevented if we have knowledge and awareness about safety and health.
I hope that the new year will inspire us to do more to inculcate good safety and health practices, not only in the workplace but also at home, in the community and at all levels of society.
Let us all be committed to making Malaysia safe, and let us not forget that safety begins with each and every one of us.
TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE Chairman, Alliance for Safe Community