Petronas Twin Towers.

December 26 has been declared as National Disaster Awareness Day. Is Malaysia prepared to tackle disasters? Is the government really serious in this matter? Millions of lives are at stake. What has been done to ensure that when a disaster does occur, the loss of lives is reduced to a minimum? I do not have the figures but high-rise buildings number in the tens of thousands all over the country. These structures are in extreme danger should another earthquake occur or a major fire break out. Do the relevant departments such as the Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat and other rescue and relief agencies have the expertise to deal with such eventualities, especially in evacuating people who are mobility impaired? I have my reservations.

The developer of the high-rise apartments where I live has repeatedly ignored requests to set up a Contingency Plan for Fires and Emergencies. The Residents’ Association likewise has disregarded this issue. Similar letters to the Chief Minister of Penang, State Assemblyman of the area I live in, Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang, Pejabat Tanah dan Galian, Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat, Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat and Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan did not garner the desired action.

The letter to Dato Seri Sharizat was handed over to the Jabatan Kebajikan Mayarakat Malaysia (JKMM) for further action where they replied. I was advised to get the developer and the Residents’ Association to work together with the Jabatan Penyelamat dan Bomba. A copy of that letter was also forwarded to The Penang Chief Minister’s Office who responded with a non-commital reply. I wrote a letter dated September 7 2005 to the developer and the Residents’ Association and copied it to ten other parties, including the Chief Minister of Penang, the two ministries and the Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat, among others. I have yet to receive a response from the developer, the Residents’ Association and the other ten parties whom the letter was copied to. I was supposed to get back to JKMM but have not done so due to the busy schedule I have been keeping. Nevertheless, the JKMM is not the proper government agency to handle this matter. This is not a welfare problem but one that requires know-how in emergency evacuation and rescue.

The developer, other than erecting unapproved structures all over the place and running the day to day affairs of the premises at their whim and fancy, have not taken into account the safety of apartment owners and residents. The individual strata titles for the apartments have not been issued yet. As far as the law is concerned, the buildings still belong to the developer, a stand that the developer has time and again reminded us when we take issue that apartment owners were not consulted on all aspects of the management and expenditure. Strangely, where safety issues are concerned, they persistently refuse to act. It makes one wonder where their priorities lie.

The following is an excerpt from The Star’s report December 26 is now Disaster Awareness Day dated December 27, 2005:

Najib, who is also chairman of the National Disaster Management and Relief Committee, said just as the country had early warning systems to detect disasters, the people should also be prepared.

“The people should not take lightly that natural disasters can occur any time and must be prepared to face any eventuality. We do not want to hear any more of families refusing to evacuate even as floodwater is rising.

Bloggers who displayed Mack Zulkifli’s yellow banner in their blogs have supported the call for a systematic evacuation plan, not only for people with permanent disabilities, but those who are temporarily incapacitated, the elderly and the mobility impaired. I have written letters to the various government ministries and agencies regarding this matter. Evidently, no response was forthcoming. I am not in the mood for appropriating some fancy name to December 26. I want to see action, action that will save lives. The developer of my apartment is hopeless. Consequently, I implore the government draw up a Contingency Plan for Fires and Emergencies to ensure the safety of its citizens living in high-rise buildings. Malaysian bloggers did not take another occurance of such life threatening calamities lightly but is the government taking our pleas seriously? Is the government even aware that there is a dire need for a proper evacuation plan? I am mobility impaired and want to be safely evacuated in the event of a disaster but is anybody listening?

The letter to the developer and the Residents’ Association:
Rancangan Pemindahan Teratur Semasa Bencana (PDF)

The letter from Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia:
Page 1
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Page 3

Letter from the Office of the Chief Minister, Penang:
Disaster Involving High-Rise Buildings

Related entry:
Dear Dato’ Seri Shahrizat

Related category:
Building Manager From Hell

Two days ago, I received this letter from the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia. It was in reply to my letter to Dato’ Seri Shahrizat, Minister of Family, Women and Community Development, dated May 9, 2005 regarding the systematic evacuation plan for people with disabilities and the mobility impaired from high-rise buildings. All I can say is that I am disappointed with the reply. I shall reserve further comments until I have officially responded to it.

The letter from Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia:
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3

Related entry:
Dear Dato’ Seri Shahrizat

Related category:
Building Manager From Hell

I was in the midst of writing the first paragraph of a new entry for today when the power went off at 1.25 pm. Since there was nothing much I could do without electricity, I had lunch. A short while later, a neighbour called to inform me that the elevators were not working as well. I believe some residents must be trapped in them too. This is the second time that the standby generator has failed to kick in after a power failure. The first happened in April last year. Apart from the elevators not functioning, I speculate that the pump for the wet riser supplying water to all floors for fire fighting was not working as well. The power came back on at 1.48 pm.

This is the type of building manager we have here at Taman Pekaka. Essential equipments are not maintained to keep them in running condition. Illegal structures are constructed without regard to local building laws. Vehicles are allowed to be parked haphazardly and obstruct the access of fire engines. The building manager shamelessly reserved two parking lots for himself in the common property. Our complaints were repeatedly ignored. Our lives are endangered every time there is a power failure. Yet the local authorities refuse to act against them for reasons unknown. Something is rotten in the state of Penang.

Related category:
Building Manager From Hell

Project Kasih has been doing a fine job in helping rebuild Aceh after the December 26 tsunami. Its members have visited the province many times to assess the situation and provide aid donated generously by the Malaysian public. There are images and tales of survivors, the devastation and on-going reconstruction projects.

Among Project Kasih’s notable efforts, the highlights of children orphaned by the killer waves is most heartrending. Those children not only lost one or both parents. They lost their homes and all they ever possessed as well. It was difficult enough for adults to get on with their lives after the disaster. Imagine how nearly impossible it is for these little ones when practically everybody in that region is affected as well. If you have money to spare, I encourage you to donate to Project Kasih. This cause is as worthy as it can get.

While those tsunami survivors are struggling against an uphill battle to rebuild the broken pieces of their lives, here in Malaysia, we are waiting for a disaster to happen and have no contingency plan to manage it. Raja Munir who visited me and saw for himself the situation around the compound of my apartment and wrote about that in Project Kasih. We shed a tear or two when we read about the misfortune of the Acehnese. In reality, we should be shedding tears for ourselves for continuing to expose our own to known and preventable risks to disasters.

The local authorities and government are indifferent to the potential dangers. Developers and building managers could not care less about the human lives other than fattening their bank accounts at the expense of apartment owners. Access for fire engines and ambulances into high-rise apartment compounds are often hindered by haphazardly parked vehicles and illegally constructed structures. Local councils refuse to act. While we cannot avoid natural disasters, we certainly can prevent and reduce the risk of manmade tragedies, if only the people who can make a difference care enough. But they do not. We never learn. Life is cheap. It really is.

Raja Munir took time away from his busy schedule to drop in to see me just now. Peter was here too and amongst others, we discussed the Systematic Evacuation Plan initiated by Mack. I was also happy that I could get Mack on the phone and introduced him to Raja Munir. Both of them have been very active in promoting this cause which will not only benefit me alone but the thousands of mobility impaired persons who have no choice but live in high-rise dwellings. These two are fine examples of caring Malaysians. Together with the many bloggers who have adopted the yellow banner in their site, the voices of the silent minority are finally being heard. Thank you for making a difference.

Related category:
Building Manager From Hell

Raja Munir’s account of our meeting:
Meeting Peter