Most Read
Most Commented
Read more like this

YOURSAY | ‘Agencies must learn to trust the intelligence of M’sians and share more information.’

Fact check: Did MET Malaysia miss the imminent threat on Penang?

Quigon Bond: What I gather from this article is that the “danger” warning – the only relevant warning – was issued late, at 9.30pm on Nov 4.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, on the other hand, created the impression that there were ample danger warnings.

I can understand why the Meteorological Department doesn’t go around telling people there are different prediction models, but how many times have we ever hit “danger”?

It’s time for them to trust in the intelligence of Malaysians and share more information so that we can be better prepared.

Robbed: I believe the Meteorological Department can’t just put the yellow warnings on their website and Facebook.

The potential dangers must be communicated through mainstream media, social media, the Information Department and other NGOs.

This is because we are not used to such sudden floods, unlike Hong Kong where an impending typhoon is well-communicated and residents are also well aware of the dangers.

Negarawan: Very good article by the writer, and I think it highlights the lack of competency and urgency in the Meteorological Department.

NNFC: Weather reports obviously play an important role in our day-to-day lives.

But instead of the usual reports of it being “wet” or “hot” on any given day, the department should upgrade its knowledge to be comparable with its counterparts in other countries, and be more technical and accurate.

When flight MH370 flew an unplanned flight path to its destruction, departments were slow to alert others.

HP Looi: Malaysia is not used to extreme weather events, like hurricanes and severe storms.

The Meteorological Department may possibly not have very up-to-date standard operating procedures or response plans for events like this, which have the potential to be national-level disasters.

Sleepy: The department’s apparent lack of an SOP for a storm may have been acceptable if the weather was not so unpredictable and destructive of late. Unfortunately, it was not.

All this while, we boast a huge security force. I wonder what lessons we can derive from the tragedy in Penang.

Anonymous 496511505185889: Good, now if only can someone could explain this phenomenon to some BN MPs.

Penang CM: Najib didn't announce new funds for flood mitigation

Victor Johan: Thank you Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for clarifying that the RM150 million approval which Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced a day earlier is not a new allocation for flood mitigation projects in Penang, but was a previously approved allocation announced in Nov 2016 by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

Lim explained that Najib only said that he would seriously consider the RM1 billion worth of flood mitigation projects that were still unreleased under the previous five-year Malaysia Development Plans, meaning that this is money from the previous budgets.

Lim was also tactful and tactical to thank Najib for his visit and his willingness to seriously consider disbursing the previously approved RM1 billion.

Cunningly, or rather sheepishly, Najib said that he had approved RM150 million and would be considering additional funds for flood mitigation is sheer misrepresentation on his part to gain political mileage.

Either that or the prime minister is merely ignorant and just repeated what he was told by his people.

Jedi Yoda: Do we need a disaster like this to happen before these funds get disbursed?

If the approved plan had been executed, at least we could have mitigated the extent of the damage, and at best, maybe even avoided the flood altogether.

Fair Mind: True to the prime minister’s previous behaviour, even help to citizens after a major disaster has to be twisted to give the impression that he is concerned about the floods and the citizens affected.

Over 7,000 people were affected, and there doesn’t appear to be a single sen from new funds to help the people. What happened to the once-rich Malaysia?

CNHT: Lim says that Najib would “seriously consider” the RM1 billion worth of flood mitigation projects. Why does it still need to be “considered”?

HP Looi: The Prime Minister’s Department received an RM17.4 billion allocation, while the Islamic Development Department got an RM1 billion durian runtuh (windfall) in the latest budget.

And you can rest assured that these allocations will be disbursed as soon as possible.

The rest, including the promised funds for Chinese schools, can “hang on a promise” (although based on how P Waythamoorthy was left “hanging on a promise”, I wouldn’t be too optimistic about it being fulfilled).

And based on a recent spike in postings by cyber troopers, part of the durian runtuh under the PM's Department allocation may have already been disbursed.

The rest of us can just weep in despair.


The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.

ADS