GEORGE TOWN, Oct 24 — The Penang Front Party (PFP) urged the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) today to investigate suspicions of power abuse in the construction of the Bukit Kukus paired road project that was hit by a deadly landslide.
PFP chairman Datuk Patrick Ooi said he lodged a report with the commission today and hope it will investigate the Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and Penang Island City Council (MBPP) Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang’s role in the project.
He said the paired road project was a MBPP project and alleged that no safety measures were taken to prevent the recent landslide that caused the death of nine foreign workers.
“Since it is a state project, we want to know why they did not monitor it or take strict enforcement action when there is non-compliance,” he said.
He said when civil society previously raised concerns with the project, the state government did not heed these.
He also asked Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to intervene and stop the state from continuing with the project.
“After this tragedy, how can we be sure that this project is safe? How can we trust that the paired road is safe? It is a tofu highway, a death lane, who would dare use it,” he said.
He blamed the state government for failing to prevent this incident despite the precedent at another construction site last year.
“The last incident in Tanjung Bungah happened in October too and till today, the inquiry into the incident is yet to reveal its findings,” he said.
He pointed out that rain was seasonal in October and claimed that if the state did not mitigate for this when implementing projects, October would become a “death month” each year.
Last Friday, a landslide occurred at the construction site of the Bukit Kukus paired road project, killing nine workers and injuring four others.
Just a week before that, a stop work order was issued against the project after 11 beams fell onto a slope at the project site.
Last year, also on October 21, 11 workers were killed at the construction site of a housing project in Tanjung Bungah after a landslide.
