DAP elected representatives were slammed for being “too busy” to attend Penang Forum’s talk on ‘Floods: a call to action, and hillslope development’, which was attended by some 200 people today.

The forum, aimed to address the massive flood that occurred on Sept 15, and the Tanjung Bungah landslide on Oct 21 that killed 11 workers, on which Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has called for detailed probe by the State Commission of Inquiry.

State Opposition Leader Jahara Hamid said their absence was probably due to Lim’s stand that the Tanjung Bungah landslide was a “worksite accident” and the developer’s alleged “professional negligence”.

Penang Island City Council mayor Maimunah Sharif has also declared that the 980 units of affordable housing project, affected by the landslide, had followed safety guidelines.

“However, what is presented in this forum is that the issue involves lack of enforcement. We cannot accept it as just a worksite accident, as many factors contribute to it, so the state must take these concerns seriously,” Jahara told reporters after the forum at Penang Teochew Association on Chulia Street...