The Federal Government should render full assistance to the Penang State Government in the Tanjong subsidence disaster in Georgetown in Penang to ensure full safety and compensation for the 4,000-5,000 people in Tanjong as a result of a man-made subsidence disaster, which is the result of the collective negligence and irresponsibility of the developer of Komtar Prangin Mall project, the Penang Island Muncipal Council (MPPP) and the Penang State Government.
Although the Penang State Government and the MPPP had belatedly taken action in connection with the subsidence disaster caused by the Komtar Prangin Mall project, , as commissioning geotechnical studies and directing the developer to take remedial action, these actions were four months too late, as damages which would have confined to 10 houses have now escalated to affect over 300 houses involving 4,000 to 5,000 people.
The Penang State Government and the MPPP should have commissioned geotechnical studies on the Prangin Mall project five months ago, when reports of cracks to walls and pavements to houses started occurring, which would have confined damages to 10 houses instead of the present figure of over 300 houses.
In the affected Kampong Kolam area, for instance, cracks started appearing in seven houses by the end of September last year, which increased to ten by mid-October. The number of cracked houses increased to about 20 by mid-November, 30 by December 3, 35 by December 8, 49 by December 21, 62 by mid-January and 96 in early February.
The cracks in the Pengkalan Kota area, which now affect another big area involving over 150 houses, started appearing only at the end of last year.
If the Penang State Government and the MPPP had responded to the complaints of the residents and commissioned geotechnical studies by mid-October, the Tanjong subsidence disaster would not have reached the magnitude as to affect over 300 houses and some 4,000 - 5,000 people - as the damage could have been contained right from the beginning to some 10 houses.
Some residents have complained that the Penang State Government and the MPPP would have adopted a completely different approach to their complaints if their problems had happened before the April 1995 general elections, when cracks appearing in one house would have brought out the entire Penang State Government and MPPP machinery within 24 hours of the complaint.
The Federal Government should co-operate with the Penang State Government to hold a full inquiry, in particular to ascertain who must be held responsible for
the man-made disaster which had befallen them, affecting their safety, livelihood, peace of mind, homes, property and livelihood so that they could be assured that they would get justice at the end of the day, and not become the new victims either of development in Penang or government indifference and negligence and ensure that there would be no cover-up into the investigation as to why the authorities had failed to act for five months to confine the damage to only some 10 houses - and that there would be a full and independent inquiry into the acts of negligence at the government level, whether state or municipal.