Malaysia’s Worst Floods?

Floods have affected more than 200,000 people in a decade or so, caused losses of over RM6 billion in damages and killed over 150 people. Malaysia’s worst flooding in decades took place in 2014, forcing about 118,000 people to flee their homes.

In the last one week, more than 64,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Malaysia according to the authorities. Downpours since last Friday have caused rivers to overflow, submerging many urban areas and cutting off main roads, leaving thousands stranded. Of this, more than 14,000 of the people were from Pahang.

Source: Malaysiakini.com

Nearly 10,000 people fled their homes in Selangor. Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the PM, expressed surprise at the severe flooding in KL and Selangor.

A Government website showed water exceeding dangerous levels in six states on Sunday afternoon. As flood waters receded from the capital, business owners went back to their shops to clean up the damage left by the downpours.

And what was the Government’s response?

The PM promised RM100 million or RM1,000 per household for flood victims. And beyond that?

1. It was a photo-opp:  

From the yellow umbrellas and full-suited minders to a VIP standing at the back of a touring 4x4 as if inspecting the troops, it gave the rakyat the chance to see which VIPs really care about the suffering of the rakyat.

2. Time to pass the buck:

The MKN, NADMA, ARMY, MB, CIVIL DEFENCE, DOs, BOMBA and district disaster relief committees, all had their share of blame for the tardiness, confusion and the uncaring attitude of the authorities.

It's a waste of time to talk about these people because their sense of reality is different from ours. That's why they do what they do. They don't feel what the rakyat feels. 

3. The rakyat rules:

It was heart-warming to see the rakyat trying to take care of themselves without concern for race, religion, class or creed! That, is not a welcomed thing to some, and the fact that the rakyat were on their own.

4. Unity or hair-splitting:

The defenders of the status quo are quite irritated by the government- bashing. But then nobody blames anybody for an act of God. It is the lethargy that annoys the rakyat! Amazing what dismal leadership can unearth, it is like having Trump in a Covid situation.

So what can we do?

After all the recriminations and pontification, there are several things to do:

• Dredge the rivers;

• Try to clean the rivers;

• Provide retention ponds and pumps where required

• Re-forest areas which have been logged;

• Give the army a standing instruction to assist in a crisis;

• Galvanise a couple of individuals to coordinate rescue, relief, restoration work; and

• Give local housing associations basic amenities for rescue and relief

The above is not an exhaustive list – and you don’t need a “Jawatankuasa” to put this into action. Leaders are born in a crisis and there were many from the residents and NGOs. Forget about race or religion, it is a human being that needs help!

References:

1. Malaysia’s worst flooding in years leaves 30,000 people displaced, The Guardian, 19 Dec 2021

2. A natural disaster hits the nation, Umar Mukhtar

3. Malaysia flood evacuees rise to 64,000, 8 deaths reported, xinhuanet.com, 20 Dec 2021