'Where is his empathy?' - Young Syefura hits back at Nazri's 'voluntourism'
Ketari state assemblyperson Young Syefura Othman has hit back at Padang Rengas MP Nazri Abdul Aziz’s suggestion that the country’s annual floods could be a source of “voluntourism”, or volunteer tourism.
In a statement today, she said that her state constituency was one of the worst-hit areas during last December’s nationwide flooding crisis.
Ketari state assemblyperson Young Syefura Othman has hit back at Padang Rengas MP Nazri Abdul Aziz’s suggestion that the country’s annual floods could be a source of “voluntourism”, or volunteer tourism.
In a statement today, she said that her state constituency was one of the worst-hit areas during last December’s nationwide flooding crisis.
Tourist hotspot Janda Baik was one of the worst affected areas during the floods, and many attractions - to date - have yet to be repaired, said Young Syefura.
She acknowledged that the post-flood situation, especially immediately after the flood, had required many volunteers to assist flood victims in the cleanup work.
“However, it is wrong in terms of ethics and mentality if the government sees this as a source of income for the country or the state.
“Where is Nazri’s empathy and sensitivity when voicing this opinion to be taken into account by the government?
“Where is the sympathy for the (flood) victims when we seem to celebrate the hardships and misfortunes that hit them?” she asked.
The Ketari rep claimed that while she supported creative ideas to drive the country’s development, Nazri’s suggestion showed how detached an individual was from reality.
Enjoy and also learn
Nazri was quoted as saying by Sinar Daily, the English version of Malay daily Sinar Harian, that tourists could help with volunteer work during the floods.
“If you know it is coming, then start planning now.
“Maybe we can have voluntary tourism where people come to the country to help us with the floods, and it is not about them coming here just to enjoy but for them to also learn,” he said.
Nazri gave the example of Kuala Krai, Kelantan, which he described to be “like a festival” during floods.
“In Kuala Krai, for example, the flood is like a festival. Every monsoon, we have a flood festival, and people will come.
“Because now there is volunteerism, where foreigners come to do volunteer work, and they pay (to buy tickets and so on),” he was quoted as saying.
Young Syefura, in the same statement, called on other leaders to visit her constituency - which has not yet received post-flood repair aid - and hear out the woes of flood victims.
“Perhaps, this way, deaf and blind leaders can better understand the feelings of the rakyat who are still reeling from finding ways to restart their lives after all their possessions and lives were swept away by the floods,” she said.
Last December, many areas, including Taman Sri Muda in Selangor and parts of Pahang, were hit by unprecedented floods.
Poor disaster response saw residents stranded on rooftops overnight.
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