PENANG MCA chief Datuk Tan Teik Cheng questioned the continuous incidents of landslides even though the state government has safety guidelines on hill site development since 2012.
“When Lim Guan Eng was the Penang chief minister, he introduced the Safety Guidelines for Hill Site Development in 2012 and revised them in 2020 (Penang Safety Guideline for Hill Site Development, Second Edition, 2020),” recalled Tan.
“Why despite these safeguards and repeated tragedies, fatal hillside incidents still persist?”
Questions were raised following the latest tragic incident landslide that led to the death of a doctor.
Dr Wong Kar Lin, 73, died when a landslide struck his home in Taman Seri Rambai, Paya Terubong, Penang.
Family members said Wong was crushed by concrete in the kitchen. The landslide took place on the morning of Oct 25. A post-mortem found that Wong succumbed to blunt force injuries to the chest and traumatic asphyxia.
Series of landslides
Prior to this, a landslide killed 11 workers in Tanjung Bungah in 2017. A year later, another landslide, in Bukit Kukus claimed nine lives. Four workers perished at a construction site in Tanjung Bungah in June 2019.
Tan raised five questions related to various aspects of hillside development and stakeholders’ concerns which the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led state government needs to address. The five are:-
- How were hillside development guidelines enforced at Paya Terubong and how were slope stability, drainage and geological risks assessed?
- Why were residents’ concerns – if raised before the incident – insufficient to prevent the tragedy and how were complaints addressed?
- Will an independent investigation establish the cause, determine accountability and make its findings and relevant approval and inspection records public?
- Why were risks to nearby homes not adequately prevented if deficiencies are established and how will residents near other high-risk slopes be protected?
- How will the state audit vulnerable slopes, publish an accessible risk map and strengthen enforcement against developers who breach safety requirements?
In addition to that, Tan stressed the need for the state government to clarify on the immediate assistance, temporary accommodation and fair compensation are provided to the family of victims and affected residents.
The MCA veteran leader also called for beefed up enforcement, effective safeguards for residents to prevent repeat tragedies, He also wants developers and responsible parties to be held accountable. ‒ Oct 26, 2026
Main image credit: Bernama
