Not the time to point fingers, says Anwar

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Not the time to point fingers, says Anwar

Anwar Ibrahim said all parties should not push the blame over the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide. -The Star

Wed, Dec 10, 2008
The Star

BUKIT MERTAJAM, MALAYSIA: Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on all parties to stop the blame game over the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide tragedy.

He said the focus should be on finding out the cause of the tragedy and not point fingers.

"Now is not the issue of blame. We need to get to the bottom of the cause (of the tragedy) and the results of whatever findings should be made public for the people to judge.

"But instead, we now have an attempt to cover up by proportioning the blame to who is in charge now," he said to newsmen during a press conference at the PKR headquarters in Yayasan Aman yesterday.

The Permatang Pauh MP called the Government to launch a full and independent investigation on not only Bukit Antarabangsa, but also other hillside development projects in the country.

He said the Pakatan Rakyat government in Selangor had stopped approving all category three and four hillside development projects on Bukit Antarabangsa since March this year.

"For the last 15 years, the projects on Bukit Antarabangsa have been blatantly approved by the previous administration.

"Now, the Selangor Government has to scrutinise all 90 hillside development projects in the state that were approved by the previous government.

"It will be difficult for the current government to cancel the projects because it could lead to court cases," he said.

On the Kuala Terengganu by-election, Anwar said PKR and DAP would support any candidate PAS picked.

He was optimistic that Pakatan would make it in Kuala Terengganu if all its coalition parties worked hard to face the might of the Barisan Nasional machinery.

Anwar had a tight schedule yesterday when he visited sick constituents, distributed beef and attended kenduri Qurban at Telok Wang, Mengkuang Mak Sulong, Sungai Semambu, Kampung Paya, Permatang Rawa, Kampung Pertama, Sembilang, Tanjung Putus and Bukit Indera Muda.