Who are we kidding?

Despite crippling catastrophes due to negligence and greed, nothing will come about in nailing the culprits who caused it.

COMMENT

I have a Kisah Benar to tell.

There is an abandoned school in my neighbourhood. It has been abandoned since 2004 due to structural defects.

The school – SRK Danau Perdana, located in Taman Danau Desa, Kuala Lumpur, was built in 2000 and began its first school session in 2003.

Having been built on former swampy ground, it did not take too long for the ground to start moving and cracks on the wall, floor and pavements to be seen within a year after its launch.

In early 2004, the building began sinking and soon, the school was vacated and students were moved to neighbouring primary schools.

The Public Works Minister inspected the school and gave a press statement. He said the school was constructed by Project Management Consultant (PMC) appointed by the Finance Ministry.

Surprisingly, the PMC appointed by the Finance Ministry was also responsible for 21 other cases of schools and community colleges around the country with structural defects.

When DBKL was contacted, they claimed the matter wasn’t under their jurisdiction. When the Public Works Department was contacted, they claimed the issue was under the Education Ministry. When the Education Ministry were contacted, they claimed not being involved in the matter.

Brilliant. Semua orang cuci tangan. So typical.

Clearly no one stepped forward to claim responsibility for the abandoned building. The Public Works Department, Finance Ministry, Education Ministry and DBKL looked the other way. No contractor, PMC or consultant engineers were blacklisted.

Surprise, surprise.

It is 2015 now – twelve years has passed but nothing has been done about the school. The sinking school is still in my neighbourhood. Clearly it should be demolished but who would bear the cost?

Well, having enjoyed the ‘benefits’ earned from the project, no one has yet come forward to admit that it was their fault (as if anyone in their right mind would do that).

And since no one is taking the blame, no one has borne the cost – it makes absolute sense, why take the blame when there is nothing to feed from?

After all, flies only gather around warm stinking shit.

Okay, so why am I telling you this Kisah Benar?

Because I am getting tired of the 1MDB scandal.

Because I know deep in my heart that nothing will come out of this. No one will be held responsible. Like the abandoned school in my neighbourhood, the 1MDB case will be unheard of in a matter of years.

Remember PKFZ? Remember NFC, Perwaja, Lynas and Bakun? Remember all the screwed up projects pointed out by the Annual General’s Report from donkey years ago?

Honestly, I do not think 1MDB will be any different.

The opposition can make all the noise they want to with exposure after exposure. And the authorities in the government can claim to come up with lists of people involved to be investigated.

But come on, who are we kidding? As long as crooks run the country, justice will never prevail.

At the end of the day, everything is nothing but a sandiwara.