When it's about safety, be proactive not reactive

 

NSTP FILE PIC, FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY. AHMAD UKASYAH

LETTERS: The tragic death of a 16-year-old schoolgirl in Negri Sembilan is not just one sad event. Similar incidents have happened before.

It is a warning we have ignored for too long the need to be proactive rather than reactive in anything we do.

Time and again, we see the same pattern: a disaster happens, we speak about it when we react and then we do nothing — until the next tragedy.

This is not leadership. This is waiting for harm before we act. We have seen this with our own eyes.

Structures along our highways have collapsed. Roads have failed. Reports have pointed out risks.

Yet our authorities almost always act only after something goes wrong rather than taking proactive action to prevent an accident.

We say "better safe than sorry" — but too often, we choose sorry. Safety cannot start when an accident happens. It must start long before.

What we need is a real culture of prevention and acting before a tragedy. That means fixing problems when they are small — not waiting until they become big and dangerous.

It means checking our roads, bridges, and public facilities regularly. It means proper and regular maintenance, scheduled checks, and quick repairs.

We should not wait for a road to fall apart before we fix it. This is most important in our schools. Every child deserves to be safe while they learn. That means constant watch over school grounds, buildings, and all activities.

It means putting clear measures in place to stop violence before it starts. We must not wait for another incident to tighten rules, improve supervision, or make our schools secure.

Prevention is not extra work — it is our duty. It costs far less to keep things safe than to fix what breaks. More than that: it saves lives.

We owe it to our children, our families, and our country to change the way we think.

Let us stop acting only after tragedy strikes. Let us look ahead, plan ahead, and protect ahead. A safer Malaysia is built not when we grieve — but when we decide to prevent.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE

Kuala Lumpur

- NST

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The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the MMKtT.