Choose the people, not a vacation - Zahid

SHAH ALAM - Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi advised all parties, especially leaders, to prioritise the people who are currently overwhelmed by the flood disaster rather than going on vacations.

He said anyone needed to be better prepared to deal with a flood situation, especially since they could expect the disaster during the monsoon season in the east coast due to changes involving natural and geographical factors.

"So, going on a vacation abroad, for example, is not the best decision when the people who voted for you (the party) are struck by misfortune.

"This is where the concerns of leaders are demanded and evaluated by the people," he said via Facebook on Saturday.

On Dec 20, former Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam claimed that Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar was in New Zealand when floods were hitting the state.

Lokman also claimed that he has evidence showing that Ahmad Samsuri was on holiday with his family in Auckland on Dec 11 and was only expected to return last Thursday.

However, on Friday, Ahmad Samsuri publicly apologised for not being with the people in the state during the floods.

He even admitted that there was no reason for him not to be with them during critical times.

Meanwhile, Zahid who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, also pointed out that one of the causes of the floods were due to illegal logging and uncontrolled forest activities.

"Thus, their greed resulted in the ecosystem being severely affected. The rainwater collection area lost its function. All of this demands an everyday awareness to re-stabilise the natural ecosystem.

"The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) is indeed on standby 24 hours a day, with expertise and equipment.

"However, when a major flood occurs, it will result in loss of life, damage to crops and livestock, damage to property and can destroy existing infrastructure facilities," he said.

He added that the flood victims were traumatised and suffered huge losses, such as damaged vehicles and lost of properties, which affected their income.

"Therefore, the state government is asked to plan better to prepare for major floods, but more important is the preventive measures to ensure that environmental damage does not worsen the existing situation.

"Illegal forest activities without concern for the preservation of the environment must be stopped.

"The most basic thing is that drainage systems need to be better maintained, including the interior aspects, so that water stagnations and blockages do not occur. This is important so that there are no flash floods or major floods in villages or houses in the city," he said.

He said the culture to maintain infrastructures should be a daily practice, and not only when there was a flood.