Otai Reformis urges Selcat to probe S'gor's flood management system
PKR-linked NGO Otai Reformis 1998 has called on the Selangor Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) to probe the state's flood management procedure and prevent a repeat of the disaster that struck at the end of last year.
The group's secretary Razak Ismail said the bipartisan committee's public inquiry should look into the state secretary's role who they claimed was "ineffective" in managing evacuation and flood relief efforts.
Razak also said...
PKR-linked NGO Otai Reformis 1998 has called on the Selangor Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) to probe the state's flood management procedure and prevent a repeat of the disaster that struck at the end of last year.
The group's secretary Razak Ismail said the bipartisan committee's public inquiry should look into the state secretary's role who they claimed was "ineffective" in managing evacuation and flood relief efforts.
Razak also said the outcome of the investigation should be made public as flood management is a responsibility of the state government.
"Otai Reformis 1998 questions the role of Selangor state secretary Haris Kasim prior to and during the flood that devastated parts of Shah Alam, Klang, Hulu Langat, Sungai Buloh and Kuala Selangor.
"The state secretary is in charge of the Selangor Disaster Management Unit that runs the command centre based in the state secretariat's building.
"He has been accused of being slow to activate the facilities and mobilise assets belonging to state agencies," said Razak.
"These include assets belonging to local authorities, state GLCs and others involved for purposes of evacuating the flood victims," he added.
Among others, Razak said there were victims who complained of slow rescue efforts, despite 12 local councils in Selangor having fibre and aluminium boats that were not urgently deployed to Shah Alam.
Aside from local authorities, Razak said Otai Reformis 1998 - a group comprising mostly staunch supporters of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim - were informed of more boats belonging to state agencies that were not deployed for urgent rescue missions.
As such, he said Selcat through its public inquiry should produce a white paper to serve as a standard operating procedure in improving future deployment and coordination of flood relief efforts.
In Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, one of the worst-hit areas in Selangor, several residents met by Malaysiakini amid ongoing clean-up works had questioned what they claimed to be "selective boat rescue missions"
Record rainfall last Dec 17 saw water levels rising rapidly in parts of Selangor and several other states, displacing thousands of residents and destroying properties.
Many were faced with untold damage to their properties inundated by water from record rainfall, not only in Selangor but also across the peninsula.
