A THOROUGH investigation into the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in west London, which killed many residents, revealed that more than 100 high-rise buildings in 37 areas in the United Kingdom are covered in similar flammable material.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from four high-rise buildings in northern London after inspectors found fire safety issues, including faulty fire doors.
If such fires could happen in a developed country like the UK, which prides itself on having a good fire protection record, it can also occur in developing countries like Malaysia. We must take the outcome of the investigations by the London authorities as a lesson so such a tragedy will not befall us.
But, what worries me is our attitude to react only when an accident or tragedy occurs, with authorities and stakeholders giving their comments and recommendations.
Based on years of observation, I believe that our interest and awareness to act can only be seen in the first few weeks after an issue arises or a tragedy happens, before it dissipates and eventually forgotten until the next incident occurs.
It is tantamount to the Malay proverb, hangat-hangat tahi ayam, which means to not do something wholeheartedly, consistently and continuously.
Most parties are not proactive in preventing such tragedies, but prefer to adopt a reactive approach, where actions are taken only after a tragedy has happened and even then it is not sustainable.
This attitude is aptly explained in another Malay proverb, sudah terhantuk baru tengadah, which means to try and stop something bad from happening when it has already happened, similar to the English idiom, “to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted”.
After an incident, most often than not, we hear of calls for an investigation, but in most cases, the outcome of the investigation is not made public and the lesson not learnt.
If we fail to discard such a negative attitude, we will continue to face accidents, tragedies and disasters that will claim more lives.
Such an attitude is also responsible for accidents involving escalators, and injuries and deaths related to firecrackers, among others.
Just imagine how we would react if a tragedy like the Grenfell Tower incident were to take place in our country.
I am sure countless proposals and solutions will be presented by various parties to address the issue.
However, judging from our attitude towards past tragedies, for example, frequent road accidents, we never seem to learn and such incidents continue to occur.
Hence, the authorities and stakeholders concerned must resolve to take proactive measures to prevent similar tragedies from happening in Malaysia instead of being reactive all the time.
Those who design and build structures should embrace fire protection as a fundamental consideration in their work, even in the absence of governmental oversight.
Relevant parties should find a solution to the issue raised by our Fire and Rescue Department on low-quality aluminium composite panels, which are used by contractors in the country and can become a fire hazard.
The Fire and Rescue Department should intensify nationwide inspections to ensure that all old high-rise buildings are safe to inhabit, and building owners should cooperate and comply with fire prevention regulations.
The department should also certify that the building materials used are safe.
It should update building regulations to suit the rapid changes in construction and fire safety technology.
The authorities should review existing fire safety rules and regulations, and implement updated legislation to compel regular safety checks and audits.
All these are essential as fires in Malaysia killed 107 people and injured 477 others nationwide last year. In 2015, the number of deaths from fire incidents was 153, while 467 people were injured.
According to the Fire and Rescue Department, about 6,000 premises nationwide were destroyed by fires on average, with about 40 per cent of them being private homes. The others were offices, factories, schools and shophouses.
We should not wait for something like the Grenfell Tower incident to happen in Malaysia before we act. We must always opt for a total preventive culture instead of always being reactive.
TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE
Kuala Lumpur