Pretty shocking statement coming from our very own Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, who accused the divine intervention as the primal cause of Kedah landslides.
His statement, however, was rebutted by the opposition minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who argued, "In the issues of nature, you cannot blame God, when the issue has been mentioned by the previous minister; how can you blame god when it's the humans who have been reckless with their logging?"
Takiyuddin then responded by saying that there have not been any approval in licenses by the state authorities for logging activities in the area, at least not in the past three years. He also added that the government has allocated RM75 million for forest restorations, including Gunung Jerai, where the landslides had occurred.
Datuk Seri @anwaribrahim membidas kenyataan Menteri Tenaga dan Sumber Asli, Datuk Seri @takiyuddin61 yang mengatakan bencana alam berlaku kerana takdir tuhan.#SisiTVParlimen #DewanRakyat #AWANInews pic.twitter.com/bDattAcO2m
— Astro AWANI (@501Awani) September 20, 2021
As Takiyuddin's statement starts to circle around the internet, member of Parliament for Muar, Syed Saddiq, chimed in on the discussion:
This is a bad precedent set by the Minister. Apabila ada masalah, semak urus tadbir kita sendiri.
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) September 20, 2021
Bukan tunding jari pada “act of God”. Kalau macam tu, sampai bila-bila kita akan hadap masalah sama setiap tahun. https://t.co/FhpUQBDExG
Others seem to share his sentiment as well:
Pokok yang kena tebang semua tu, bukan disebabkan takdir.
— Dr Helmy حلمي 希尔米 (@dochelmy) September 20, 2021
At a time when the entire world is talking about what we can do to address the #ClimateCrisis, we have individuals in charge who would prefer to deflect blame rather than take responsibility for their actions. https://t.co/xhpAC5wbXk
takiyuddin hassan, you are the minister of energy & natural resources. malaysia’s biodiversity & ecosystems depend on your competence.
— freyr (@notsoaidil) September 20, 2021
your ministry is dedicated to science & your answers should be based on science. the fact that you choose to say it this way is very worrying. https://t.co/n2p7uwbGM0
Seharusnya jawapan daripada seorang menteri perlulah berasaskan data dan fakta. Ni kalau jawab semua itu takdir Allah, boleh fikir balik lah layak jadi menteri ke tak.
— Khairul Hafidz (@khairul_hafidz) September 20, 2021
“Kenapa kita dalam pandemik COVID-19 pak menteri?”
“Act of God”
Senang betul kerja. https://t.co/fP5xfl2dLD
Clearly, there is a clear problem here when something that can be rationally explained by science can easily be diminished under the "Act Of God" argument.
Landslides are typically caused by climate change or human activities such as deforestation, logging, construction, and more; all of which can be traced from one source: man-made disasters. In short, God is less likely to be involved here.
