Media statement by Opposition Members of Parliament on 29 December 2021:
Opposition Members of Parliament Call For Special Commission To Investigate the Management of the Floods
The recent flood disaster which has ravaged the nation is a sobering reminder that we should be ever prepared for such extreme climate events.
The government’s unpreparedness of dealing with the aftermath and not having a ready plan to mitigate the disaster was shambolic.
It is distressing that 46 lives were lost in Selangor and Pahang because of the ineffectiveness and the lackadaisical attitude of the federal government.
There was also a communication mishap between the federal government and the Selangor state government on dealing with the search and rescue mission, with reports of armed forces self-deploying themselves because the flood waters were too high and they could not wait for orders from higher-up.
This is worrying to the people of Malaysia as instead of saving lives, the federal government opts to play petty politics. There are 32 ministers in Ismail Sabri’s cabinet but instead of deploying themselves to be at the aid of the people, they instead pretend to “help” for photo opportunities.
Now since the floods have receded in most places, there needs to be a thorough post-mortem on what went wrong, and which are areas of improvement that need to be addressed.
We agree with the several suggestions put forth by the Gabungan Darurat Iklim Malaysia (GDIMY) and a group of 44 civil societies and Malaysian individuals.
The government must recognise the flood disaster as a national disaster.
The government should also embark on pro-climate policies like a national adaptation plan, a disaster risk reduction plan and push for higher prosecution for those who contribute to climate change like deforestation.
The Federal government should also engage with all stakeholders including members of the opposition and civil society groups to develop a holistic plan to mitigate disasters as well as environmental impacts moving forward.
The government needs to act fast! We need to prevent unnecessary losses of lives due to inefficiencies, tardiness and carelessness which could have been avoided from the start.
As members of parliament we demand for the immediate setting up of a Special Commission to investigate the management of the floods and that its report must be debated and approved by Parliament.
Signed by 77 Members of Parliament led by Opposition Leader YB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
- Port Dickson, Opposition Leader
- Kuantan
- Seputeh
- Sekijang
- Beruas
- Lanang
- Bukit Bendera
- Muar
- Kepong
- Pokok Sena
- Bukit Bintang
- Rasah
- Simpang Renggam
- Klang
- Lembah Pantai
- Sungai Buloh
- Cheras
- Jelutong
- Labis
- Kota Melaka
- Kluang
- Batu Kawan
- Labuan
- Kalabakan
- Bakri
- Kota Kinabalu
- Pulai
- Padang Serai
- Bayan Baru
- Setiawangsa
- Iskandar Puteri
- Sungai Petani
- Seremban
- Kulai
- Tanjong
- Ipoh Timor
- Sandakan
- Kampar
- Kuala Kedah
- Kota Raja
- Batu Gajah
- Bandar Kuching
- Sibu
- Tampin
- Lumut
- Ipoh Barat
- Selayang
- Pandan
- Sungai Siput
- Wangsa Maju
- Petaling Jaya
- Bagan
- Taiping
- Tuaran
- Ledang
- Sarikei
- Teluk Intan
- Raub
- Damansara
- Shah Alam
- Segambut
- Stampin
- Permatang Pauh
- Tanjung Malim
- Subang
- Alor Setar
- Hulu Selangor
- Selayang
- Johor Baharu
- Tangga Batu
- Merbok
- Kapar
- Balik Pulau
- Batu
- Pasir Gudang
- Puchong
- Hang Tuah Jaya
