Malaysia: Flood mitigation a priority - Prime Minister

Satiman Jamin New Straits Times 13 Jan 14;

FOR THE PEOPLE: Govt mulls projects in states that are periodically flooded

KEMAMAN: THE government is considering pumping money into flood-mitigation projects in several states that are periodically flooded.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said aside from this project, aimed at giving the people a better life, the government was fast rebuilding roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and other facilities that were destroyed or damaged by the floods.

Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan and Johor were badly hit by the first wave of the year-end floods last year, which dispalced 50,000 people.

"We are looking at the possibility of carrying out urgent flood mitigation projects.

"These projects are costly ... (a flood mitigation project) in Kemaman for example, will cost RM480 million and (one) in Kuantan will cost RM300 million.

"This does not include the cost of rebuilding destroyed roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and other facilities. If we total all these up, the cost will be billions of ringgit," Najib said.
Najib, who is also finance minister, said although the projects were costly, the government would consider them as the rakyat was Umno's and the Barisan Nasional (BN) government's priority.

Najib said it was thus important to transform the nation's economy so that big and costly undertakings that benefited the rakyat, including flood mitigation projects, could be carried out.

"We have to transform the nation's economy so that when it becomes strong, the increased income could be channelled back to the rakyat for projects like these," he said adding that the government's policies were on the right track towards a better economy and ensuring the well-being of the rakyat.

He criticised the opposition for sowing negative ideas about Umno and BN in the rakyat's mind, adding that it was as though they had come forward to help those in need.

"Umno's philosophy is to give priority to the rakyat. Who has been at their side in good and bad times? Who has been helping the rakyat? Who else if not Umno and the BN government. Don't try to fool the rakyat (by) going down once or twice (to make appearances) during the floods and then highlighting it on Facebook to claim that they are championing the rakyat.

"From start to finish, it was Umno and BN who helped the rakyat. Our leaders were there to assist, from (providing) food aid, boats, volunteers ... they left the (Umno) general assembly to be with the rakyat who were having a hard time."

He said the government was fair in assisting the people during the floods.

"It doesn't matter whether or not they support us or whether or not (we) won in the area or not, we assisted everyone. This is because the value of humanity is higher than political considerations. This is our government," he said to 15,000 people who attended the flood assistance presentation ceremony at Padang Astaka in Chukai, here, yesterday.

During the ceremony, 600 families who were affected by the floods last month received household items, apart from cash assistance ranging from RM500 to RM1,500 from the state government, and RM500 from the Federal government.

Present at the ceremony were Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said and Communication and Multimedia Minister who is also the Kemaman member of Parliament Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

Najib said the kind of assistance given to flood victims which included household items like LCD television sets, refrigerators, gas stoves and mattresses was unprecedented.

"I believe that this assistance will alleviate the burden of the flood victims and I hope that after this we can give out more assistance like this."