KLUANG – The Home Ministry has been notified of the Johor government’s need for additional manpower to help deal with the flood situation in the state.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that, for now, more than 4,000 Johor police personnel are ready to be deployed at any time.
“That’s 4,000 personnel available and just now, I had a discussion and gave instructions directly to the state police leadership for help to arrive on time, with saving lives as the main mission.
“If we take into account other agencies like the People’s Volunteer Corps, General Operations Force and others under the ministry, we will have nearly 7,000 people,” he told reporters after visiting the flood relief centre at the Kg Melayu Kluang community hall, here, today.
However, Saifuddin said should it be necessary, the ministry would be ready to deploy police teams from states not affected by floods.
This includes expediting all assets that are on the lists of police or other agencies under the ministry – such as four-wheel drives, lorries, lifeboats, ropes and many more, which can facilitate rescue operations.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, during the cabinet meeting earlier today, had instructed ministers who have nothing important on their schedule, to immediately go down to the ground to see for themselves the flood situation in Johor and report directly to him.
“As everyone knows, he has announced an immediate RM50 million allocation to the state government and, yesterday, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, as chairman of the Central Disaster Management Committee, also announced RM10 million (for flood aid allocation).
“That is our (government’s) commitment as a sign of empathy towards the people in Johor, especially those affected by the floods. As a sign of our strong support, especially from the Home Ministry and other security teams, I say thank you,” he said. – Bernama, March 3, 2023
