The Makkah Tragedy

At last count, 76 people had perished in the hotel collapse tragedy, located in the Holy City of Makkah. Condolences to the families of the four Malaysian pilgrims who died in this tragedy. It seems that almost every year, some tragedy will occur during the Hajj season. This year is no exception. The other year, a stampede caused hundreds of pilgrims to lose their lives. I think that it is about time that the Saudi Arabian reexamine the whole infrastructure and process involved during the Hajj. They should look at the structure of old buildings and scrutinize its safety aspects. The movement of pilgrims during Wukuf also needs to be reviewed so as to avoid unwanted incidents. Funding is not a problem for the Saudi Arabian government as they earn billions of dollars from their oil exports. I hope that sad tragedies do not recur for the want of maintenance and proper planning. The Saudi Arabian government must realize that they are the keepers of the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah. They should spare no effort in ensuring that pilgrims during the Hajj season or the year round Umrah could perform their rituals in a comfortable, safe and peaceful manner. Life is precious!