Najib orders holidaying ministers home to deal with floods

KUALA LIPIS (Pahang) — Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has ordered all ministers on holiday to return immediately to deal with the worst floods to hit in the country in decades, as the number of evacuees rises in nine states.

Mr Najib himself cut short his United States holiday on Christmas Eve to return to Malaysia on Saturday to deal with the floods.

“This decision was made so that they could work to assist in the flood rescue and relief operations,” he told a news conference after visiting a flood relief centre at Padang Tengku in Kuala Lipis, Pahang, yesterday.

The floods, which hit Kelantan, Terengganu, Johor, Pahang, Perak, Kedah, Perlis, Negri Sembilan and Selangor, have so far forced more than 160,000 people to be evacuated. At least ten people have been reported dead, including an 18-month-old toddler.

Malaysia is grappling with floods caused by the annual monsoon rains. The government has come under fire for its response and its decision not to declare a State of Emergency. Mr Najib has also drawn flak online after photos emerged of him playing a round of golf with US President Barack Obama in Honolulu during his holiday.

The government yesterday allocated an additional RM500 million (S$190 million) to help victims, after it earlier approved RM50 million in aid, a report on The Star’s website citing Mr Najib said.

As of yesterday, the situation in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor and Perak was reportedly worsening, while the northern states of Perlis and Kedah reported that the flood situation had improved. Mr Najib also said that as relief centres in Kedah had already been closed, rescue workers as well as security forces on duty there would instead be deployed to the states still hit by the floods.

Experts said the government was not declaring a state of emergency in the states hit by floods as the situation was still under control.

Head of Governance, Law and Public Administration Cluster, National Council of Professors, Prof Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmood said the focus should be on efforts to help and ensure the safety of flood victims. “The situation is still under control. As for now, the government does not have to issue certain orders, like using private properties ... as evacuation centres,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

The number of flood victims in Kelantan stood at 93,407 yesterday morning from more than 80,000 on Saturday, while there was little change in Terengganu, Pahang and Perak. In Kelantan, the Kota Baru district has recorded the highest number of flood victims at 42,469. In Pahang, the number of flood victims dropped slightly to 33,601 yesterday from 33,643 on Saturday.

In Terengganu, the number dropped to 33,990 yesterday morning from 34,709 on Saturday in the affected areas, including Kuala Terengganu, Hulu Terengganu and Besut. In Johor, 475 flood victims from 119 families are still housed at nine relief centres yesterday.

In Perak, the number of flood evacuees in Hulu Perak, Kuala Kangsar, Central Perak and Kerian rose to 7,513 yesterday from 7,010 on Saturday. In Perlis, there were only 34 flood victims still in the relief centre in Kangar yesterday. AGENCIES