Malaysian Flood Crisis

That's what the international news media are calling it. I wonder why our local media hasn't used the word "crisis" on it yet. When 60,000 people are displaced, it's a crisis by any measure. And things don't seem to be going well.

Okay, floods are by definition, natural disasters, or "act-of-God". So, there isn't anything that can be done about it, or is there? Well, there are certainly things that can be done from an engineering point of view to mitigate/reduce the effects of such disasters. With a well developed irigation system and disaster management process, things may work out differently. It's kind of shameful that our country is trying to be a developed country, and we're still faced with these kinds of problems. Well, some may quote Katrina, in the US. Now this is an apt quote in many ways. I wonder if this is our Katrina. I certainly hope not.

First, if we had know that this flood was going to happen, why did we not do anything about it. We had ample information about the coming of the flood due to the troublesome local weather phenomena recently. So, if there was warning, and the government did not act on it, the government should be held accountable. The job of the government is to protect it's citizens. If any of the rakyat have lost their lives due to inaction/negligence, someone's head should roll.

Second, on disaster management. If the rains were over the period of 17-19 December, why were the disaster relief mechanisms delayed in action. By 20 Dec, only 20,000 people were evacuated. And the floods still seem to be spreading throughout the southern part of our peninsula. And saying that floods were not expected is just bull. This is our annual monsoon season, with seasonal flooding in various parts of the country.

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=237977

Third, where is our PM in our time of crisis? He is overseas, after having made an official visit to Venezuela. He didn't even bother to come home to take care of the problem and has only conveyed his sadness through the DPM via phone. It just shows how concerned he is with the plight of the rakyat. I'm not a politician, but this somehow looks, to me, like what Bush did during Katrina as well. I certainly hope that any PETRONAS deal with oil exploration in Venezuela was worth it. I wonder how many deaths it would take before he comes home. An absent PM is no PM.

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=237835

Fourth, it seems that we do not need any help. Our DPM has kindly rejected the offers of other nations to help with our crisis. I'm not certain that this is the right thing to do. This is a crisis, and any help that is offered, should be appreciated and not snubbed. We need evacuation and disaster relief. If our friendly neighbours want to give us packets of instant noodles and mineral water, just take lar. Clean water is more important than anything else. Well, I sure hope that things turn out okay for the people affected. It would be horrible if it turned out to be like Katrina, with less people dying because of the flood than after the fact.

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=237950

Fifth, about accusations of corruption. These are unfounded of course, but wouldn't surprise me even if they were true. There are reports of army rescuers demanding RM250 for aid to cross the river by boat. I know that the army doesn't pay their people well, but this is a time of crisis and there should be some "perikemanusiaan" right. If you don't help your fellow man, who will. It's just sick.

So, I dunno lar how. We seem to be a nation that's good at being in denial of the truth. I just hope that everyone who's affected is okay and that the death toll will stop at 6.

UPDATE: Seems that it has climbed to 7 now. The dead are Ahmad Sarkawi, 70, Marsiah Ahmad, 69, Nor Azahari Nordin, 28) and Teh Sook Ching, 61 in Segamat, M. Mageswari, 26, a teacher, and A. Muniandy, 59, in Kluang and Ow Kee Heng, 60s, in Kota Tinggi. Generally, old folk who needed help to get away from the floods. Sad.

UPDATE: Up to 100,000 people are displaced now, and the PM has made a visit, on his way to Australia.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2006-12-23T084310Z_01_SP142366_RTRUKOC_0_US-ASIA-FLOODS.xml&src=rss