IT was past noon on Thursday and Sultan of Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah had just appeared after a two-hour briefing on what had been going on in Cameron Highlands over the past month.
The monarch was among others briefed on the Nov 5 mud floods and landslides in several towns in the highlands that had claimed five lives. While making his way into his self-driven white four-wheel-drive vehicle, he was stopped by several of his subjects, who were troubled by the goings-on.
The sultan’s bodyguards did not stop anyone. They knew not to interrupt when the ruler spoke to his subjects. After all, this has always been the case for Sultan Ahmad Shah. His strict but approachable demeanour has endeared him to Pahang folk.
The sultan held back his next step and engaged with his people. One of them was Cameron Highlands Vegetable Growers Association secretary Chay Ee Mong, who lamented the hardship faced by 984 of its members, following the operation to flush out illegal foreign workers in the highlands.
The sultan listened attentively before telling Chay: “I am your sultan and you are my rakyat... that is why I am here to see what is happening in Cameron Highlands. If I am not concerned, I will not be here. I need you to jointly develop the state. However, we do not want a small group of people (illegal foreign workers) to scare us. We will fight them.”
He meant business when he ordered illegal land clearing in the highlands to cease immediately. He was equally serious when he ruled that illegal foreign workers were not allowed to wander in his state.
Many may agree with the ruler that illegal land clearing has to stop to save the highlands. But, will slamming the brakes on illegal foreign workers in the state bring any impact? Are they the root cause of the problem in the highlands?
Just a day earlier, the sultan had lashed out at officers from the state and Cameron Highlands district, who failed to provide him with satisfactory answers to questions on the highlands, during a visit to Bertam Valley. Bertam Valley was one of the towns affected by the Nov 5 mud floods and landslides. It was also the site hit by a similar tragedy last year.
The sultan’s anger is understandable. One year after the incident in October last year, Bertam Valley remains the same. Sungai Bertam is choked with mud, sediment and silt. It was supposed to undergo a widening and deepening exercise, costing RM40 million and announced after the incident, but the money has yet to reach the hands of “those who matter”.
“I don’t take nonsense. We have to be responsible to our people. I bet you when I return in one month’s time, it (Sungai Bertam) will still be like this. (And tell the Federal Government) that the state Department of Irrigation and Drainage can handle the allocation. We are not going to swindle it. This is my state and they are my rakyat... I feel ashamed myself (of what is happening),” said the sultan.
He did not spare Cameron Highlands member of parliament Datuk Seri G. Palanivel.
“The people voted you in and this is what you give them?” (To Palanivel’s officer) “You tell him to do it. You tell him to get the money in. I am serious about it.
"The Pahang government agreed to make him a candidate in Cameron Highlands in the last general election. What has he done? Nothing. Tell him to look after Cameron Highlands, otherwise, we will not vote him next time. I will make sure that myself," he added.
And two months is all the sultan giving to get the RM40 million in and work done. The ruler will be in Bertam Valley again on Jan 19 to check if his directive is adhered to strictly.
It is anyone's guess if heads will roll if things remain as it is come Jan 19.
Time is not on anyone's side now. Those in position have to get to work fast or face the royal's wrath.
Two tragedies in a span of just one year in the same place, claiming nine lives, is no laughing matter. A stop must be put to the rot happening in Cameron Highlands.
Authorities have to go after the greedy and corrupt. They cannot live in denial that rampant corruption is not taking place. Otherwise, why is the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) moving in now?
The authorities must also not be afraid to act, just because "big fishes" may be involved. You are answerable to the people and not these fishes. By covering their tracks, it makes you equally guilty as well.
It also does not pay for those in the know to plead ignorance when disasters strike. Pushing the blame onto another does not help either. Remember, what goes around, comes around.
As for Chay's parting words:
"I met the sultan personally to voice our concerns.
"He is one ruler who cares for his people and has his people's will at heart".