OFF THE CUFF BY AZMAN UJANG
THE outpouring of public dismay and anger over the slow response and action at official levels to last weekend’s major flood disaster is like something we have not seen for a very long time.
Social media is itself “flooded” with videos of such reactions and it’s indeed heart-warming to read of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah urging government agencies to be more proactive in efforts to rescue flood victims and extend help to them.
That they were not proactive enough was the core issue highlighted in these videos, straight from the horse’s mouth or the victims themselves.
And Prime Minister Datuk Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob admitted there were weaknesses in flood management, especially in Selangor – the worst hit state – while assuring that this will be improved from time to time.
Days after the rain stopped on Saturday, many people are still trapped in their homes and waiting for help to arrive, the media reported.
“If it is considered a weakness in coordination, I do not defend anyone in this situation, for me everyone must be held accountabie,” Ismail Sabri told reporters.
It is more than obvious for everyone to see, especially from the sob stories recorded on videos of the flood victims – particularly at Taman Sri Muda just close to Shah Alam, the capital city of Selangor – that coordination was a major issue in the latest floods to hit the country.
Among the most dramatic videos was that of scores of people, including children, waiting on rooftops to be rescued.
Social media reported that the rescuing party only arrived many hours later.
We can all appreciate that rescue operations were massive, with all personnel having had their hands full, but there are so much resources, both in equipment and manpower at the disposal of various government agencies, for more efficient operations to have been executed.
Just for coordination purposes during a disaster, Malaysia even set up a specific body called the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) in 2014 after the big floods in the East Coast states.
Let’s forget for a while that Malaysia already has a bloated civil service that has been a bone of contention among some social activists and economists concerned with its skyrocketting budget.
The floods in Selangor, especially at Taman Sri Muda and Hulu Langat, would have been a perfect test for Nadma to prove its effectiveness in coordinating rescue operations to minimise deaths and destruction to property. But instead when Nadma director-general Datuk Dr Aminuddin Hassim called a press conference on Tuesday, he denied allegations that there was a lack of coordination for relief operations when floods hit Selangor.
Netizens are livid in their criticisms of civil servants resorting to a denial syndrome, or as veretan journalist Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai describes it, “excuses, excuses and more excuses for the glaring lack of coordination to respond to a major flood disaster”.
What is there to deny when even the prime minister spoke about it and if there was faster and efficient coordination, the casualties could have been minimised.
In a strongly-worded statement, National Patriots Association president Brig-Jen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji criticised Special Functions Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latif Ahmad and Nadma, which he overseas, for their “failure in addressing the major floods that have hit several states”.
“If Nadma is claiming it was not set up to manage the flood situation, then disband Nadma. This is not the time to shift responsibility to others,” said Arshad, adding that he was surprised by the “sloppiness” of the authorities in reacting to relief efforts plus a substantial delay before the authorities took any action.
It would have made more sense for agencies tasked with disaster relief responsibilities to admit where their weaknesses were instead of this denial syndrome just to protect themselves.
The outcomes of their actions or inactions speak for themselves and we are living in this era of technology and social media where things get exposed all too easily.
It was viralled on social media these last few days about a video of a launching ceremony with the usual big fanfare of the Bulan Kesiapsagaan Nasional or the National Preparedness Month for disasters by the prime minister, which took place on Oct.1.
In the video, the nation’s assets for relief and rescue operations were put on public display and had the level of preparedness shown at the launching ceremony been executed on the ground, the situation would not have been that bad or worse.
As of Wednesday, 27 deaths have been reported with reports of bodies floating in the murky floodwaters making headlines across the country. The floods in Shah Alam alone claimed at least 12 lives so far.
One shudders to think if relief efforts were much to be desired in the nation’s most industrialised and developed state like Selangor, with its perfect communication network, what is the level of efficiency in the highly flood-prone East Coast states?
National Professors Council senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir chipped in by saying that excuses given by the authorities only magnified their weaknesses and the perceived systemic flaws.
“Clearly those tasked with handling such a situation were not able to manage a large-scale disaster. We have experts in various fields who should be able to formulate the best way to resolve any crisis, the people want a proactive leadership,” he said. Spot-on, Jeniri.
The Department of Irrigation and Drainage is one of the oldest government agencies, with all the experts and expertise, and it’s not too much for the public to expect them to come up with more effective flood mitigation plans for the government to implement.
This year-end disaster happening right before our eyes so close to a city like Shah Alam and elsewhere in the country also brings to the fore so many unsung heroes among volunteers who have come out in full force to deliver food, clothing and other assistance to the flood victims.
Salute to all of them as well as to government agencies’ staff now in the thick of action reaching out to more victims.
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