LETTERS: Residents in the Klang Valley once again endured water disruption for several days recently. It appears that this is a recurrent incident.
The question is, why should the public suffer inconvenience due to the irresponsible acts of some individuals with regard to water pollution?
While the laws to curb such actions are in place, what is lacking is vigorous enforcement.
While it is possible to amend the laws to impose stiffer punishment, what is more important is enforcement.
The authorities must monitor the operations of factories located near the rivers to ensure that they strictly comply with the regulations.
There should be no compromise with violators of the laws.
Not only should the offenders be prosecuted and punished if found guilty, their business licences must be revoked and assets confiscated.
This will serve as a lesson to the offenders not to flout the laws.
Some quarters may argue that the revoking of licences and confiscation of assets are unfair as this will affect the livelihood of workers in the company.
This argument may be rebutted with the contention that the workers have a duty to expose the wrongdoings of the management.
If, despite the disclosure, no action is forthcoming, they should alert the authorities under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010. T
heir move will be lauded as they are not serving their self-interest but the larger interests of the company and the public.
Dr Ashgar Ali Ali Mohamed
International Islamic University Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times