Najib arrives home, buckles down to tackle Kelantan flood

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak touched down at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in stricken Kelantan at 1.40pm today (Dec 27) and immediately went to work to tackle the country’s worst flooding in decades.

State news agency Bernama reported Mr Najib heading in for a closed-door briefing by the National Security Council (NSC) on the flood situation in Kelantan, among the worst hit out of eight states nationwide that has sent over 100,000 evacuating their underwater homes.

The prime minister is expected to hold a press conference shortly after the briefing.

“I am being updated on the flood situation by Datuk Seri Mustapha Mohamed and Datuk Seri Shahidam Kassim before the press conference,” he posted on his official Facebook account minutes earlier.

The prime minister, had cut short his holiday abroad following widespread critical messages on social media as upset Malaysians vented their anger over pictures of Mr Najib enjoying a round of golf with US president Barack Obama as the South-east Asian country faces its worst flooding in decades.

Mr Najib announced plans to return from the US to oversee disaster relief efforts here, saying he is “deeply concerned” by the country’s worsening flood conditions.

Mr Najib said, however, that during his time abroad, he had been in constant contact with the authorities back home.

“I am deeply concerned by the floods. I feel for the people who have lost their homes, and the families who have lost loved ones.

“While I have been away, I have been in constant contact with the National Security Council and the National Disaster Management and Relief Committee, who have assured me that they are doing everything they can to help those who have been affected. But I want to see the situation for myself and be with the people,” he said in a brief statement from his office yesterday. THE MALAY MAIL ONLINE