After the flood, does Ahmad Maslan regret saying geography is useless? OUTSPOKEN: As Malaysia experiences the worst floods in decades, has Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan had time to reflect upon and regret saying geography is a useless subject? Ahmad Maslan told reporters that schoolchildren should learn “Entrepreneurship” and focus less on geography. He said, “Open the world map, show the 200 countries (in the world). Done! What else is there to learn in geography?” Does the deputy finance minister know the many disciplines in geography? He sounds both ignorant and obtuse, but the greater danger is his wish to meddle in our children’s education and cut down on geography lessons in school, replacing them with lessons in ‘entrepreneurship’. We are more stupid than he is as we entrust him with the nation’s finances. Ahmad Maslan is ignorant about geography, what is his knowledge of economics and finance? His boss, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, is also the finance minister. Neither he, nor Ahmad Maslan inspire the rakyat with confidence in their ability to lead this important portfolio. The monsoon rains and flooding which occurs in Malaysia, are an annual phenomenon but Najib chose to go on holiday despite the indications that the country would face the worst floods for decades. He was forced to return, after being criticised on social media, for ignoring the disaster. He returned and made the usual noises about funds for helping the relief effort. What about flood mitigation measures? What about flood control? Early this year, Najib said that that the Cabinet had received proposals to improve the efficiency of the standard operating procedures of the Flood Disaster Committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Could he enlighten us and say if this month’s response has been more efficient than in previous years? Najib was told that the flood mitigation measures, put forward by the erstwhile Terengganu Mentri Besar Ahmad Said would cost RM480mil and the plan to insulate the entire Sungai Isap in Kuantan would cost RM700mil. He also listed the government purchase of boats, trucks and other assets. He also said, “However, the cost is very high and the government has to consider the affordability first before making any decisions”. If only a fraction of the money from the illicit outflows were to be used towards flood defences, the suffering of the people might well be alleviated. In the months to come, the suffering will increase with the cost of food rising. Najib only needs to stem the illicit outflow of money, from Malaysia, for 6½ hours to pay for both of these measures. In the near future, Ahmad Maslan may need to find the extra money to pay for the relief effort, rebuild the places affected by the flood and replace broken infrastructure, like roads, bridges and pipes. He will have to help farmers rebuild their livelihoods. If only he had focused on geography and told himself that prevention is better than cure. He could have advised his colleagues that river management will help flood prevention. This involves the assessment of data from geological surveys, soil analyses, drainage and precipitation characteristics. Last year, the PM blamed climate change for causing the floods and that centuries of unchecked development had severely affected the environment. So, why is he allowing deforestation of our jungles, at an unprecedented rate? Whilst it is true that unusual weather patterns can cause flooding, Najib’s administration does the bare minimum to check the destruction of wetlands and natural vegetation cover. The removal of the wetlands has the effect of magnifying floods. Large tracts of coastline, especially those with mangrove swamps have been cut down to make way for development. The roots of the mangrove help absorb the extra moisture. The change of land use is another reason for flooding. He should be aware that illegal loggers leave behind bare patches of land, after the trees have been cut down. Roots of plants and trees hold the soil together preventing mud-slides, like the one at Highland Towers. The leaves in the large canopy of our jungles help to absorb the excess moisture and prevent over-saturation of the soil. Enforcement of illegal logging is poor. Corruption in the timber trade is allegedly widespread. Cultivation on hill slopes is not regulated, like in the Cameron Highlands. In towns, large-scale development means that buildings and roads are constructed without proper planning. Artificial surfaces like concrete, allow rapid run-off. Many modern homes replace their gardens with paving slabs. These structures allow rapid run-off but the drains in these areas cannot cope, because the return of the water run-off to the rivers is inadequate, thus resulting in urban flooding. Drains and culverts which lead to the monsoon drains, are blocked with rubbish, which the local councils are slow to clear. If the water flow is impeded and it cannot flow into the rivers, flooding will inevitably occur. This crash course in geography may help Ahmad Maslan to gain a better awareness of the importance of geography. A knowledge in geography can be used to prevent flooding. Has he heard of the expression, “control (of flooding) is better than prevention”? A staunch Umno-Baru politician will never express regret, even when he is wrong. How ironic that Ahmad Maslan’s remarks about geography should come to haunt him, like the ghost of Altantuya. • Mariam Mokhtar is a Malaysian who dares to speak the truth.”
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 06:14:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015