Govt urged to seriously look into reasons for flash floods
KOTA KINABALU: With the floods all over Sabah and the losses suffered by affected areas, Parti Warisan Sabah yesterday reminded the government to seriously look into the many obvious reasons for the flash floods even at places that had never been flooded before.
Besides the rampant hill cuttings, unmaintained drains and culverts as well as haphazard earthworks and development as being the combined reasons for the flash floods all over Sabah, the secretary general of Warisan, Loretto Padua Jr. yesterday proposed to get everyone together, especially political and NGO leaders to formulate at the district level a combined solution for the government of the day to avoid and reduce this flooding from happening again.
“A formulation of a policy of fairness and inclusiveness within the district level in Sabah to enable all elected representatives to represent their respective constituents on matters relating to public issues and concern is the way forward,” he said.
“The Penampang District disaster committee/task force had a meeting on Monday and chaired by the Penampang District Officer (DO) in the presence of Barisan Nasional divisional chairmen in the district.
“Although the emergency committee was held one or two days after the flash floods had occurred everywhere in Penampang, I am also made to understand that it was a non inclusive meeting as it had omitted the elected parliamentarians and state assemblymen respectively from the Penampang district.
“The presence of Barisan Nasional (BN) Penampang chief Donald Mojuntin, MCA Penampang chief Francis Goh and Umno Penampang Division head John Ambrose along with the presiding chairperson, the District Officer, seems to affirm the suspicion all along that the machineries of the district are exclusive only to these political parties and not to all the people of Penampang, especially their elected representatives.
“The question now is, does anyone from these political parties have the locus standi to represent the seats of Penampang, Moyog and Kapayan other than being political representatives?” he asked.
Loretto said it is perplexing to see the Penampang District Council (PDC) turn into a BN meeting place and all the technical officers from Drainage and Irrigation Department, Public Works Department and Lands and Surveys Department had to give briefings in front of all these exclusive BN component divisions chiefs.
“Perhaps what the DO should have done is to call the emergency meeting with all the relevant officers at PDC and thereafter, as a matter of courtesy, submit a copy of the minutes of the meeting and ‘to do list’ to the BN chiefs of Penampang as well as all the political and NGO leaderships who would then hold their own meeting outside to deliberate the minutes of the Emergency Committee so as to assist all areas in Penampang effectively,” he said.
Loretto also said the DO should have acted fairly and inclusively for the sake of Penampang folk without any political favouritism or fear as floods do not choose who and which political party supporters are affected as everyone regardless is victim.
“Her action of omitting the NGOs and the elected representatives in Penampang are akin to preventing the district folk to know what these officers have to say about the flood and its solution/relief through the representatives of their choice and this is rather unfortunate because the meeting is merely a briefing and not a district level policy or decision making process,” he said.
“Warisan is of the opinion that an open, fair and inclusive people-centric governance is the way forward for Sabah to enable it to achieve progress, the way Penang and Selangor are doing now.”
He said he would propose this policy to the Warisan top leadership to be adopted into the party’s manifesto so that all Sabahans could effectively communicate with the government through the elected representatives of their choice.
“While BN Sabah and its affiliates try very hard to close the door of effective and direct people’s participation on matters that relate to public concerns, Warisan will work very hard to tear the wall down that is currently clogging the flow of a good administration,” he added.