THE tragedy of the massive floods that hit the Klang Valley over the weekend is further compounded by the glaring impotency of the administration – both federal and state in their response and proactiveness.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had reckoned that the response for Selangor, which at the time of writing has seen more than 100,000 people displaced and 21 deaths, was slow because the state was unprepared for floods of such magnitude.
Granted that unlike the east coast states of Kelantan, Pahang, and Terengganu, which experience monsoons every year at this time, the enormity of the devastation that hit the Klang Valley was not something that one could have foreseen.
But is that not the work of the likes of the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma)? The Meteorological Department? The armed forces? To be prepared for all eventualities?
That Nadma only had its first meeting on Monday – four days after the floods struck, amid reports of a lack of coordination between it and the armed forces, begs the question if red tape and incompetence had contributed to slow rescue operations and the deaths of innocent civilians.
Nadma director-general Datuk Aminuddin Hassim needs to answer for this. If he cannot come up with an acceptable answer to the people who pay his salary, he should do the right thing and step down – as they do in many developed countries.
In the same vein, his boss, the prime minister, needs to start coming up with answers for the rakyat.
Why were people left on rooftops overnight? Why were motorists marooned on highways left to fend for themselves? Where were the helicopters and boats?
It was reported that we spent close to RM80 million on drones. Could we not have used them for food drops?
In the same vein, RM100 million was allocated to irrigation work in the most flood-prone area of Shah Alam – Taman Sri Muda. What has become of that project? Has the people’s money been squandered, causing them to pay with their lives?
Ismail Sabri has since replaced Selangor Umno chief and Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar as National Security Council (NSC) chief – only a month after his appointment.
Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari returning as the state NSC chief is an indictment of Noh Omar’s leadership. However, blame has to be collective and across political divides.
In the meantime, the priorities of several ministers seem to be misplaced with precious time and expenses being lost to “launch events” and sticking faces on aid boxes.
To a person who has lost everything except the clothes on his/her back, time is of the essence. Launches and VIP visits do little to mitigate the situation of a person who is left homeless or worse, has lost loved ones.
What is heartening is that as this government preaches the importance of Keluarga Malaysia, it was ordinary Malaysians who stood up to the plate and demonstrated the true meaning of the “Malaysian Family” by providing help, boats, food and sanctuary to their fellow Malaysians irrespective of colour or creed.
Malaysians galvanised efforts among themselves to rescue people stuck on rooftops, even as the prime minister confidently announced that all teething issues that were brought up have been addressed.
While the water has receded for now, we will continue to be inundated with the pressing question of whether more could have been done to relocate people and save lives.
The answer is a resounding yes. The great Klang Valley floods of 2021 will be a stark reminder of how politics, bureaucracy, and incompetence won the day. – The Vibes, December 22, 2021
