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PETALING JAYA: It took a flood to wash away race and religion barriers separating Malaysians. Muslims were seen helping to clean a Hindu temple, and a Chinese volunteer used his own boat to evacuate residents of a Malay kampung in Puchong, Selangor.
For Kampung Batu 12 village chief Abdul Rashid Abdul Shukor, this was the true reflection of the Keluarga Malaysia concept initiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
After floodwaters receded last Thursday, a group of students from International Islamic University Malaysia made their way to Taman Klang Utama to help clean up a Hindu temple that had been submerged a few days earlier.
Klang MP community service centre coordinator Nallan Dhanabalan told theSun that 31 students from the university responded to a call for help to clean the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple.
“Ten of the students who showed up were happy to enter the temple to help in the cleaning process. Others got to work on the temple grounds and the place was cleaned up within two hours.”
Nallan said the gesture by the Muslim students showed that Malaysians were always united regardless of race and faith, especially during times of hardship.
In Kampung Batu 12, Abdul Rashid said during the evacuation, many people of various races turned up to help ferry those who were stranded to a relief centre.
“A Chinese man brought his boat to transport as many people as he could. He made so many trips that the engine of his boat broke down,” he said.
Volunteers picked up about 600 residents from Kampung Batu 12 and ferried them to Sekolah Kebangsaan Puchong Indah, that had been converted into a relief centre.
National Unity Advisory Council member Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the fact that Malaysians were helping one another during times of crisis showed that they were no longer fully dependent on politicians for help.
“I am very impressed by the fact that people of all races were helping one another in the true Malaysian spirit,” he said, adding that it was a positive development.
“This goes to show that when the country is hit by a crisis, the people are united.”
He said while the people helped one another with sincerity, some politicians seemed to have ulterior motives for rendering assistance.
Many ministers and MPs have been criticised on social media in the past week over their response to the floods. Some have been accused of being insensitive to the plight of the people while others were called out for seeking publicity.
In one incident, a minister arrived at a flooded village in a boat filled with his aides and bodyguards, without room to spare to evacuate flood victims.
In another case, an MP had his picture printed on the packages of essential items that were sent to flood victims.
Lee stressed that he was not painting all politicians with the same brush.
“But there are some who hope to influence the people to vote for them come election time. They should also realise that this is not the time to play the race card.
“This is not what it should be in times of crisis. Everybody should put aside political differences and help the people,” he added.
Heavy rain from Dec 17 to 19 left many areas across nine states inundated for several days.
Selangor, which recorded 380mm of rainfall on Dec 18, took the brunt of the deluge. Other states that were also badly hit were Pahang and Sarawak.
With the start of the monsoon season, the Meteorological Department has forecast more rain in the coming days in the east coast of the peninsula as well as in Sabah and Sarawak.