The tragedy where an uprooted tree in the heart of Kuala Lumpur yesterday (7 May 2024) afternoon which caused an individual to lose his life and another injured comes as a shock and is saddening. The Ministry of Federal Territories (MoFT) and Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) need to inspect the large and old trees in urban areas regularly and meticulously, identify high-risk areas, and undertake trimming exercises to prevent such mishaps from happening again and again.

This incident has brought immense pain to the next-of-kin of the victims and I hope that the families of the deceased and injured will keep strong.

This is not the first time that this incident has happened, and unfortunately, continues to recur which suggests that the authorities have not learnt from past experiences. As the MCA Federal Territories State Liaison Committee Chairman, I urge MoFT and DBKL to conduct a review on this matter.

In the incident at Kuala Lumpur City Centre in the afternoon of 7 May 2024, a storm struck a section of Jalan Sultan Ismail in front of the Concorde Hotel around 2 p.m., causing a large tree to fall, crushing at least 17 vehicles and resulting in 1 death and 1 injured.

The authorities should promptly inspect high-risk areas in the city, especially trees and slopes along roads, to ensure that the branches on the trees in these areas are regularly trimmed and receive proper maintenance. As for slopes, this is to prevent severe landslides during torrential downpours.

Monitoring of these trees need to be enhanced by the authorities to ensure that the health of trees is assessed promptly to prevent a repeat of similar tragedies.

Additionally, the authorities should establish a rapid response hotline so that citizens can report issues related to tree health or safety. Once a complaint is received, trimming teams should be dispatched immediately.

We cannot allow such incidents to recur. The lives of our people are paramount, and we must take effective measures to ensure their safety.

Dato’ Sri Dr Wee Jeck Seng
MCA Federal Territories State Liaison Committee Chairman
MCA Vice President
Member of Parliament for Tanjung Piai

-MCA Comm-