PAS: After billions poured in, embarrassing that S'gor still floods

• UPDATED 9.50PM | Selangor menteri besar's political secretary has responded to the PAS leader's claim. 

Billions of ringgit have been allocated for flood mitigation projects in Selangor but the state continues to grapple with flooding, said Selangor PAS Youth chief Mohamed Sukri Omar.

“Selangor is one of the highest recipients of flood mitigation funding.

“In 2022, then-prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced RM6.3 billion for flood mitigation projects. In 2023, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim allocated RM1.1 billion specifically for flood mitigation initiatives in Selangor,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Sukri (above) added that the people in the so-called “developed state” are growing increasingly frustrated with the state government’s failure to plug this flood problem, which is embarrassing.

Three days ago, several areas in three districts of Selangor experienced flooding, forcing nearly 2,000 residents to seek refuge in temporary evacuation centres.

According to the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, the affected districts include Gombak, Shah Alam, and Kuala Selangor.

Sukri said while the state significantly contributes to the gross domestic product (GDP), it remains mired in flood issues.

“It is not impossible that Selangor is becoming less attractive to investors due to the recurring flood problems.

“This is evident as Selangor ranked second in attracting foreign investment in the manufacturing sector in 2022 but then fell to third place in 2023.

“In the first quarter of 2024, Selangor failed to secure a position among the top five,” he stated.

Money or management issue?

Sukri said the pressing question is how much funding Selangor truly needs to resolve this recurring problem.

He also raised concerns about the state government’s competence, suggesting that Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari and his executive council are struggling with effective management.

The PAS Youth leader urged Anwar to focus more on Selangor, which has been under Pakatan Harapan since 2008, as opposed to the PAS-controlled Kedah, which also witnessed devastating floods.

“Let us not fall into the trap of the proverb… where we overlook the elephant before our eyes,” he added.

‘Unintelligent’

In a response, Selangor menteri besar's political secretary Saifuddin Shafi Muhammad said Sukri’s statement made the latter look “unintelligent”.

“If we follow Sukri’s logic, then we know the reason why development in Kelantan is weak after being administered by PAS for 30 years.

“Furthermore, it was not a menteri besar from Pakatan Harapan or the unity government who were found in New Zealand or Japan when flooding hit their states,” he said in a statement, referring to Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

Sanusi was recently on a visit to Japan, which his office claimed was a work trip and not a vacation with his wife. This was despite floods and storms affecting several districts in Kedah.

Likewise, in 2021, Samsuri was in New Zealand during massive flooding. Former Umno supreme council member Lokman Noor Adam claimed Samsuri was on vacation.

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