KOTA KINABALU – The vast difference between flood relief allocations for Sabah and Kedah has raised questions among Sabah’s opposition as to whether Putrajaya is sidelining the Land Below the Wind.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had first announced the RM78 million allocation for Kedah’s infrastructure repair works on August 23.
Yesterday, he said that Sabah’s National Disaster Management Agency will receive RM18.2 million for future floods.
DAP’s Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin, among others, questioned the huge difference in allocation, given that Kedah is smaller than Sabah.
He also noted that the RM18.2 million, as announced by the prime minister during his visit to the state yesterday, is part of the federal government’s Malaysia Day “gifts” for Sabah.
“Imagine, if he did not visit Sabah in conjunction with Malaysia Day, Sabah would not even have this RM18 million.
“There is a huge gap between RM78 million and RM18 million! Is this fair treatment by the federal government to Sabah? Is this what we can only get with the state government aligned with the federal government?” he questioned.
Chan also told The Vibes that, before the prime minister’s announcement, Deputy Environment and Water Minister Datuk Mansor Othman had told Chan in a parliamentary written reply that the ministry had allocated RM500,000 for emergency works (before and after the flood) in Sabah.
“It means that if the prime minister did not come for Malaysia Day, Sabah would only have RM500,000 for flood repairs,” he said.
Commenting on the breakdown of the RM78 million for Kedah and RM18.2 million for Sabah, Chan said Kedah is allocated RM3 million for affected house repairs.
Sabah has only been allocated funds for food kits (RM160,000), c-tents (RM961,250), state Disaster Management Committee operations (RM20,000), the operations of 22 districts under the Disaster Management Committee (RM1.1 million), and RM16 million for Covid-19 operations management.
“It means that only RM2 million is for flood relief. Kedah’s allocation for house repairs alone (RM3 million) is only more than our overall flood relief allocation. So, if we compare the breakdown between the two states, Sabah gained nothing!” he said.
Sabah continues to play second fiddle despite Keluarga Malaysia
Meanwhile, Sabah PKR Youth information chief Razeef Rakimin said the prime minister’s action to sideline Sabah was hurtful to the state’s people, more so that it was done on Malaysia Day.
He said that a difference of only around 5% to 10% would have been understandable, but the current tremendous gap is questionable.
“The flood disaster in Sabah had damaged private and public properties, including landslides that not only destroyed homes and vehicles, but also took lives.
“Where is the Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) spirit if Sabah continues to be sidelined, when our resources go to Malaya?” he asked.
Razeef said that Sabah needs allocation to curb disasters like flooding, including to improve its drainage system.
He explained that annually, floods greatly affect districts such as Penampang, Beaufort, Kota Belud, and Kinabatangan.
“The federal government must help Sabah solve this problem by providing more allocation for flood mitigation projects in the state,” he said.
‘We need money, not food baskets’
Ricky Slash, a Penampang resident, said that he was very upset to see the amount of allocation given for flood relief in Sabah, and felt very disappointed by the amount compared with what was given to Kedah.
Ricky, who lives in Kg Inobong, Donggongon, said his house was flooded twice last year in June and October, and twice this year – January and this month.
“Obviously, Sabah needs more allocation to also address the flood problem in the long term, but seeing that Kedah, a small state, is getting so much more than Sabah, I don’t think it is going to happen anytime soon,” he told The Vibes.
In January, The Vibes reported that the residents of Penampang are sick and tired of frequent flooding, including Ricky, who had to stay awake at night whenever it rained heavily to monitor the water level around his house.
Commenting on the RM160,000 allocation (out of RM18.2 million) for food kits for flood victims, Ricky said he does not need food baskets as temporary relief, but money to repair damage to his electrical appliances and properties.
“I don’t know why they thought of giving us essential food baskets when we need money for repair, more so for those who had their entire houses destroyed during the floods,” he added.
River pollution control also necessary to combat floods
Meanwhile, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun acknowledged that Putrajaya is only allocating a “paltry sum” to address the flood problem, seeing the fact that Sabah itself is nearly half the size of Peninsula Malaysia – let alone Kedah.
However, at the same time he also took note that an awareness programme to educate the public on the dangers of dumping their rubbish into rivers was also required.
“In addition to flood mitigation infrastructure, of equal importance is a public awareness programme to teach people not to dump their garbage into rivers, as well as an adequate waste management system so that garbage won’t end up frustrating the proper drainage of water.”
A clogged river system will create a backflow of water, leading to rising water levels and floods instead of allowing a smooth flow of current into the sea. – The Vibes, September 18, 2021
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