KUALA LUMPUR – After more than a day helping victims in his constituency, Klang MP Charles Santiago put Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri in his sights.
Taking to Facebook, Santiago expressed shock over finding out about Ismail Sabri’s visit to Klang through press statements he received from the media.
The opposition legislator said he was not informed of this visit, and neither were the state assemblymen in his constituency.
“His office could have informed me or the assemblymen. Not doing so shows he’s not interested in working across the aisle, nor is he interested in learning about what’s actually happening on the ground and how we can come together to mitigate these frequent floods,” Santiago said in a Facebook post.
The DAP lawmaker suggested that if Ismail Sabri had consulted him, he would have explained to the prime minister why urgent funds are needed to mitigate this repeated disaster.
He reminded the prime minister that merely visiting victims in flood shelters and having brief conversations might be comforting to those affected, but such efforts are not enough.
Santiago urged Ismail Sabri to practice inclusivity in such desperate times, and engage all key stakeholders to find genuine solutions for Klang.
“Let me take this opportunity to say that this visit, without collaborating with my office, assemblymen, and the Klang Local Council, goes against the spirit of Keluarga Malaysia, which the prime minister preaches and is totally unbecoming of a man who holds the top job in the country.
“And it’s disappointing, to say the least,” Santiago added.
Yesterday morning, Santiago’s constituency was among the first major areas in Klang to be hit by floods.
He took to social media highlighting the destruction to property faced by flood victims and demanded RM60 million in emergency funds.
Last night, at nearly midnight, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri held a press conference that lasted around 10 minutes to address the floods.
Ismail Sabri told victims not to worry as the rescue machinery has been mobilised to assist those who are trapped.
However, there are still social media posts from stranded flood victims across the state.
Meanwhile, as of 8am this morning, 6,242 flood victims in Selangor have been placed in 80 relief centres in the districts of Klang, Kuala Langat, Petaling, Sepang, Kuala Lumpur and Hulu Langat. – The Vibes, December 19, 2021
