Malaysians never seem to learn from their mistakes. Wednesday's landslide at Kampong Pasir, Ulu Klang in which four persons were buried alive shows that unsubstantial development without a thought for nature will reap fatal consequences.

The Highland Towers disaster more than a decade ago in which 48 people perished should have been a wake-up call for the authorities not to allow developers to flatten hills or build buildings on weak spots which can cave in over time.

How the local authorities can 'close one eye' to the wrongdoings of recalcitrant contractors speaks volumes on the ineffectiveness of our government servants with regards to doing their work professionally without fear and favour.

Landslides, mudslides, floods and heat waves are all manmade due to human greed for easy money. This will compromise the quality of living of our populace as Mother Nature will strike back with vengeance if her eco-balance is disturbed.

As usual the powers-that-be will blame all and sundry for Wednesday's mishap without taking full responsibility for their failure to monitor development projects under their watch. The old mantra will now be chanted again 'We will investigate the matter and punish the culprits in a court of law'.

Try telling that to the dead or to the families they left behind. It will be a cold comfort to thise who lost their loved ones and life's work due to the failure of the authorities to carry out their duties diligently.

I always thought these type of mishaps only occur in Third World countries where corruption is rife coupled with rampant abuse of power by the authorities. Not a country which wants to be a well-developed country with the best infrastructure and the best minds running the country come 2020.