JOHOR BAHRU: The Office of the Menteri Besar today said Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal is always kept abreast of the latest development concerning floods in the state.
The office, in a statement today, said the menteri besar had also visited flood victims at temporary relief centres (PPS) and conducted aerial surveys of the flood conditions in several districts before leaving on a working visit to Egypt and Jordan from yesterday.
‘’The state and district levels Disaster Management Committee Secretariats have also co-ordinated all needs (of flood victims) and ensuring that all are in a state of readiness and always submitting the latest information on the flood situations directly to the Menteri Besar of Johor.
‘’He (Dr Sahruddin) is currently always following closely the flood situation in the state, in fact monitoring the development from time to time,’’ he said.
Yesterday, Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, in a statement, criticised the visit abroad by the menteri besar saying that it could be rescheduled if there was more pressing needs locally.
According to the statement, the visit to Egypt and Jordan had been planned much earlier before the natural disaster took place.
The flood situation in Johor today is improving with the number of victims down to 1,314 people from 327 families as of 6pm today compared to 2,669 people from 716 families this morning.
Commenting further on the visit, the office said among the programmes was a meeting with the Al-Azhar University Rector to discuss and increase educational co-operation for Kolej Pengajian Islam Johor (Masrah) students to further studies at the university.
‘’The climax to the state government working visit to the two countries was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with universities in Jordan and co-operation between Masrah, which is under the Johor State Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ), and Al-Azhar University which had been developed since 1997.
‘’Indirectly, the menteri besar could meet with Johor students studying in both countries to solve several issues including facilities and welfare of the students,’’ he said.
Sahruddin was also scheduled to meet the Malaysian ambassadors in Egypt and Jordan.
The visit was also joined by State Religious Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Development Committee chairman, Tosrin Jarvanthi, MAINJ adviser Datuk Nooh Gadot and Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) director Md Rofiki A Shamsudin. — Bernama
