Down Sepang Way

Yesterday I decided to travel back to PJ from Seremban after sending my Dad back to my sister's house in Paroi where he's residing now, via the Labu and KLIA road. But no, it was an impulsive decision while suggesting to Nasimah, why not we divert to Sepang instead of going to F1 circuit way, and lo and behold ! what a journey it turned out to be. As we passed Sepang, that out of the way sleepy hollow, we found that things had not changed much about the place. That sharp corner (just like the one in Rawang town) is still there, inclusive of the cowboy town ambience. So we continued our way to Bagan Lalang looking for the Seri Malaysia Hotel, but alas we must have missed the notoriously absent signage showing it's location. Instead we had our refreshments at the public beach of Bagan Lalang where we could see the "Sepang Gold Coast" being under construction. I had the sights before on what the heck was it all about whenever I read the adverts on it. Now it unfolded right in front of our eyes! I just wonder whether the State Government was aware what untold damage the project would bring to the pristine beach of Bagan Lalang and those fishermen who depended on the harvest from the Straits of Malacca. The catch from the seas seemed to have fallen very low as testified by the Fisheries Dept., particularly on the west coast of the Peninsula. Now what with the behemoth of the so-called " Sepang Gold Coast" would bring? For whose benefit are those ugly structures stretching for half a mile into the ocean, which reminds us of the Palmyra project in the United Arab Emirates? ( or is it Abu Dhabi). We don't need such luxuries meant for those who wanted the sea for themselves, the selfish few who wants to flaunt their wealth by reclaiming what is not their right and deprive many of their meagre livelihood, by destroying the environs which supported the marine life within the neighbourhood. I think the previous State Administration must be taken to task for approving the project and when I saw the state of affairs in the villages along the road towards Klang, then I knew that the spurrious claims made by the former MB was actually a sham! If one only looked at Shah Alam where the MB has his office in that impressive building, of course it might make him to think that Selangor is a already a developed State. But what about Jenjarom, Beranang, Kuala Kubu Bharu, Sabak Bernam and Kancong Darat? All this godforsaken rural areas are still much the same as 50 years ago, and this was vouched by an Exco member who gave us his perception as the " State of the Union" sometime last month during a high tea arranged by BAKIKJ or Badan kebajikan Islam Kelana Jaya. As I cruised down the road to Klang, then it dawned upon me if this is what's happening in Selangor, it could well be the same as in N9, my home state. The present MB of N9 is much touted as a corporate man who would lift the people and N9 out of the doldrums, but he only managed to destroy my ancestral home in Rasah due to the midddle ring road project which traversed Rasah and completely wiped out it's rich history as the base of the Sungei Ujong Wars in the 1880's. We thought development was the only way to happiness, alas we are sadly mistaken. We should have sustainable development as our battle-cry and not indiscriminate development which destroyed the environment and it's rich history. Our leaders have a lot to learn and time is not on their side. We might as well travel the way the past civilisations of Babylonia and Mesopotamia where the only heritage we could salvage is the desert. Maybe the world would end before our rain forests become desertified. Malaysia Boleh!