When the mud floods occurred in Cameron Highlands, Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob blamed the people for failing to realise the importance of forest conservation and respect for the environment.  

When haze engulfed our towns and cities, we blamed someone somewhere for open burning to clear lands. When the rivers in Selangor became contaminated and affected our water supply, we blamed factory owners for throwing pollutants into the rivers.

To me, these are all meaningless statements made by politicians who know nothing about government, governance, planning, regulation, enforcement, and compliance with the laws.  

Excuses are their convenient means of avoiding responsibility and accountability. Blame God, and if that runs out, blame the people.

We are one of the most governed countries in the world. We have an agency for almost everything – from land use, pollution control, forest management, by-laws for buildings and even effluent discharge to drainage and irrigation.

You name it, we have it and I am willing to put a wager on this with anyone. And yet, each time when a disaster hits, we just point the finger at the people.

To those in authority, please tell us what can we, the people, do? How much of civic consciousness and public duty can you expect from each of us?  

The people are disorganised, powerless and lacking in resources. What can you expect us to do, other than make reports to the authorities when we see “things not right” occurring in our midst? We can’t tell people what to do. More so, many of the violations are due to selfish and profiteering motives perpetrated by individuals.

That is why we have a government with its numerous agencies that are supposed to take care of public interest. That is why we have laws, by-laws, regulations and monitoring and enforcement agencies to ensure compliance and minimal disruption to the overall good of the society.

We elect politicians to make policies and to enact laws. We pay civil servants to formulate by-laws and regulations and to monitor violations and enforce compliance with the laws and regulations.

Where is the effectiveness?

We give the power and authority to politicians and civil servants to carry out all these tasks. We pay them handsome salaries and pensions. In the case of civil servants, we also give them secure tenure. So now, my next question is - where is the effectiveness?

We see trees in forests being stolen. We see clearing of land with total disregard for the environment. We see pollutants being thrown into rivers, ponds and seas. We see uncollected garbage everywhere. We see illegal parking and traffic violations everyday and everywhere.

So, you tell me, where is the enforcement?

Enforcement is continuous, relentless and the punishment must be definite and immediate. You don’t become strict about enforcement only after a disaster has occurred. You don’t enforce once every three or six months, or after some members of the public have made a complaint.

Enforcement must be relentless, so as to instil change in attitude and way of life. Those violating regulations or causing inconvenience and danger to others must be given punishment that commensurate with the offence committed, and without delay.

Laws and regulations not stringently enforced will lose their relevance and respect. Enforcement agencies not effective in carrying out the tasks given to them will lose their respect too.  

Worse still, laws and regulations are being abused by enforcement agencies to solicit bribes or to protect the violators. Please think about all these and don’t just point the finger at the people.