JELEBU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob did not deny weaknesses in flood management, especially in Selangor, but assured that it will be improved from time to time.
He said the responsibility of managing the flood disaster is not that of the federal government alone as the state governments and relevant authorities in the districts also play important roles.
“I don’t deny [the weaknesses] and [they] will be improved in the future… the responsibility is not that of the federal government alone, but also the state governments and the frontliners are the districts.
“The National Disaster Management Agency only coordinates… if it is considered a weakness in coordination, I would not defend anyone in this situation. For me, everyone must be held accountable,” he told reporters after visiting the flood victims at Dewan Besar D’Sury here.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said during a meeting with the Menteri Besar on Tuesday (Dec 21) morning, it was found that preparedness to face the floods in states like Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang was in order as the floods, especially during this time of the year, has been a recurring phenomenon.
However, he said, the floods that occurred in Selangor were unexpected.
“There was a problem in Selangor. We are transparent about this and I do not want to cover anyone. In other states, [like] in the East Coast, floods have become like an annual event, so all the preparations have been made, just waiting to open the PPS (relief centres), which have been identified and they are already in place.
“Every year, the flood evacuees move to the same places,” he added.
He said, there are rules for opening a disaster operations centre and standard operating procedures to be followed, whereby an operations room is required to be opened when a house is affected.
According to him, in Selangor, it was not just one house, but all were affected by the floods, especially in the Petaling and Shah Alam districts.
“I don’t blame the netizens for complaining. I’m thankful that they continue to complain to me,” he added. -BERNAMA
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