A case of mental disconnect?

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
My View - The Sun Daily
February 8, 2017

ANOTHER Dialog Rakyat is under way and I would like to reiterate a message made two years ago in my first column in theSun. I was concerned about the massive floods in various parts of the country symbolically drowning it. Entitled "Rebuilding bridges and mindsets" the column called for 2015 to be the turning point for such calamities. The statement by the then minister of works on why "permanent" bridges failed at a time of need instead of being fully functional was spot on. It was not just the failure of the physical bridges but more importantly the "mental" bridges too!

This time around we read how floods again ravaged the same spots. At the time of writing there is no sign that the ordeal is over. In fact, the spirit of the Year of the (Fire) Rooster was doused by the murky water. As usual the less fortunate faced the brunt of the floods and the aftermath. Some of those affected said it was the worst in years. Others were for the first time caught unprepared.

Why has there been so little improvement, if any, for so long. The annual floods since the days when there was no full-fledged university in the floodprone states are becoming a national embarrassment. Especially now that there are no fewer than three such universities in the east coast states – not to mention polytechnics and colleges. If other affected states are included the number is easily doubled. These are the "mental" bridges that were referred to earlier. Yet we still see the heart-wrenching phenomenon year in year out where the people are deluged with all manner of suffering. It has worsened as the nation "developed" (unsustainably) indicating another mental failure in our thinking, thus exposing the community to greater health and life-threatening risks.

We don't need rocket science to solve the root issues. For example, the lack of functional drainage systems is one of the major factors the various authorities agree is a cause of the floods.

We often hear how the Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) system that "drains" people from one area to another across many kilometres has within just six years made its initial foray last month. Can the drainage mess be tackled likewise if not earlier?

Why is it still not happening? If it is about money or budget, it would be a fraction of the cost. The prime minister had said: "Not receiving money or not enough budget should not be an excuse for operating ministries to not start a project or programme."

According to him as minister of finance, the Finance Ministry, as the central agency, should facilitate operating ministries to ensure the latter did not face constraints in delivering and implementing projects.

Although it is "better late than never" – but only if the rakyat affected are not hoodwinked again now that elections are around the corner. They have been fooled umpteen times. It is time for action not dialogue.

Equally mind boggling is the water shortage or irregular supply in the Klang Valley. The media raved about this and a politician went public to get a bath at a government department. The circus attracted sufficient "political" mileage and the problem was solved quickly.

But unnamed remote areas have yet to come under the "radar" of the media or the "ears" of attention-seeking politicians. The rakyat there have to bear with the neglect.

If it is true that a developed nation is characterised by the presence of an MRT or high speed train to serve a relatively small segment of the population, then the same concern must also extend to basic amenities like uninterrupted supply of clean water and power. More so as these are basic rights, unlike the luxury of a foreign made ultra-modern transport system.

Without doubt we need "touch points" that will move the quality of life of the rakyat as the prime minister said recently. However as it stands today, it is more the case of "out-of-touch" whereby the basic issues are still out-of-range despite Wawasan 2020 being barely 1,000 days away.

The mental disconnect cannot be more obvious relegating dialogues to mere pipe dreams. The rakyat have had too many nightmares as dialogues are no more than talk shows where in the final analysis they are again hung out to dry.