Yoursay: Toxic waste disaster - prevention better than cure

YOURSAY | M’sia needs to buck up on its enforcement to ensure a safe environment.

We acted swiftly - minister denies dragging feet on pollution incident

Cogito Ergo Sum: When the magnitude of the incident was realised, a task force should have been formed immediately.

This task force should consist of medical and environment enforcers to shut down all such factories, legal or illegal, until the source is found.

A national biochemical disaster team should be on standby 24/7 to address the problem. Please don’t tell us you don’t have the money for this.

And do not act in silos. As government, there must free flow of information and coordinated teamwork. That is a given.

Clever Voter: It is counter-productive to be defensive. Do something about the enforcement. We have many standards, but many do not follow the rules on waste and rubbish disposal.

Also, get rid of plastic waste imports. Bring to court those industries that pollute the air, water and earth. There are plenty across the country.

This should not be a knee-jerk reaction. It is a standard thing that we should have in place already.

Anonymous_15: Most Malaysians feel the reaction was slow. That's why more children fell ill. Poor excuses coming from ministers.

Old Fella: Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has a PhD from Imperial College London, the best school in England in toxicology. He ought to know what to do.

Sinan Belawan: @Old Fella, yes, but that did not prepare him for handling an emergency parliamentary session, telecast live, on the Pasir Gudang dumping.

Dzulkefly stated that no one died, but what are the long-term consequences on the health of the victims, the effects both long term and short term on the health of the people living close to the affected areas, and what immediate preventive measures are going to be taken, etc?

The live telecast showed there was poor coordination between education, environment and health ministries in handling the Pasir Gudang crisis.

RM6.4m to clean up chemical waste in Sungai Kim Kim

Ace: The cost should be recovered from the factories involved. And to make sure the businessmen and industrialists learn - jail time has to be served, they should not be allowed to get away by just paying fines.

Roger 5201: This is a disaster waiting to happen. It’s the same with Lynas with radioactivity leached into the ground.

Let's hope sanity will prevail when it comes to Lynas whose clean-up is pending approval from the Australian government to accept the radioactive waste.

Shovelnose: Yes, it must be carried out. However, in the immediate future, are you going to cover up and let those responsible for such dastardly act go scot-free?

Are they going to be made to pay for the cleaning bill or just let the state - meaning the general populace - bear the cost?

The culprits must be named and shamed, in addition to being brought to the court.

MW: Yes, jail term for the owners of the business, not just the employees acting under instruction. And charge them the cleaning fees as well as the medical fees for all the victims.

The victims should also take a class action suit against the culprits to claim further compensation. No mercy, set an example.

PM to visit toxic gas victims, House to debate declaring emergency

GalaxyM: This is just the tip of the iceberg. Don't forget Bukit Merah (rare earth plant) in Perak; Bukit Koman (gold mining), Lynas (rare earth plant) and bauxite mining in Pahang; and now Pasir Gudang in Johor.

Those responsible for the toxic substance must be no minions and they should be very powerful and huge in order to make it a profitable venture.

The Harapan government should leave no stone unturned in its investigation.

BH Yap: Malaysia's extremely poor record on enforcement has now created a crisis. It was a tragedy waiting to happen.

Vgeorgemy: We hope the Dewan Rakyat will hear the names of powers-that-be behind this dumping if the opposition acts as a check and balance.

It is well known that the dumping of industrial waste along the river and streams are operated by the powerful.

Johor sultan pledges RM1m for Pasir Gudang crisis

Fair Minded Senior Citizen: This is very kind of the Johor sultan.

Now use your influence and strength to catch the culprits and those who took bribes and also help to clean up the rivers for the long-term prosperity of your subjects.

Hopeful123: Money will not bring back lost lives. What is needed is an effective proactive government machinery.

Ensure that all government departments and staff are in tip-top condition and mandatory checks are regularly conducted wherever necessary.

The culprits responsible for the fiasco must be publicly shamed and heavy and deterrent punishments meted out.

Otherwise, this kind of mishap will be taken lightly by the offenders and sadly, there will be repetitions in other forms.

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