Profits first, people’s safety later?

 

Many Malaysians do not make safety a priority. They think that accidents will not happen to them. But when calamity strikes through their own negligence, ignorance or carelessness, some Malaysians will shrug their shoulders and claim that it was “God’s will”, or that the incident was fated.

It takes only a few seconds to buckle up a seat belt. Only a few seconds to secure a motorcycle helmet’s straps. Lifejackets do not take several minutes to be put on.

FMT reported on Sept 9 that Malaysia’s coastguard, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), had been busy monitoring tourist boats in the sea off Terengganu.

The work started two Sundays ago and in the 95 operations which they conducted, around eight tourist boats were ordered to return to shore due to overcrowding. The operators were warned to keep to the safe permitted number of passengers per boat before they could resume their trips.

According to the report, MMEA director Suffi Mohd Ramli said the boat operators had been given a stern warning. He said that with the school holidays, the coastguard would increase enforcement, especially in tourist areas such as beaches and resort islands in Terengganu, because of the increased traffic.

Many Malaysians will wonder if a stern warning is sufficient. The problem of overcrowding on boats is not a new phenomenon. The repeat offenders should be given a hefty fine, and if they still break the law, perhaps the boat could be impounded.

One Malaysian who travels to Perhentian Island each year for his family’s annual holiday said overcrowding has always been a problem.

“Boat operators want to maximise their profits. Some operators are very lax and do not ensure that all their passengers have secured their lifejackets properly. Others do not have sufficient child lifejackets and in some cases, small children are asked to wear adult life- jackets,” he said.

His wife said: “When I alerted the tour guide that the boat should not move off until all the passengers had worn their lifejackets, I was told that I could leave the boat and make my own way to the islands.”

Malaysia is a desirable holiday destination. It has various attractions; ranging from sun-kissed beaches to mist-hugging mountains, steamy jungles to adrenaline-packed rafting. There are leisurely cruises, and family-friendly theme resorts. In fact, the country has most things to suit all types of budgets.

We have the package tourist, the medical tourist, the sports tourist, the activity-packed holiday tourist, the sailing and sea enthusiast, the shopping-spree seeker, and a host of other types of tourism.

With the world embroiled in financial turmoil, the need for our tourism industry to shape up is even more important than before.

However, the following problems should be solved if we are to improve our hospitality and tourism industry.

• dismal service standards
• unfriendly staff
• poor transport links
• family friendly facilities
• extortionate prices
• a lack of basic information
• poor safety practices.
• poor refuse collection in tourist sites e.g. beaches
• littering, including rubbish on beaches, and blocked drains

While most issues have specifically to do with the hospitality industry, there are other problems that need enforcement action by the government.

In some areas, it is alleged that the use of meters in taxis is not strictly enforced. The safety of buses, and also boats, is often overlooked. It is only when an accident happens, with loss of life, especially that of foreigners, that safety standards are seriously dealt with. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.