Work together to provide aid during floods, Pahang prince tells leaders

KUANTAN: The Tengku Mahkota of Pahang wants leaders of political parties, government agencies and others to work together and without any discrimination during floods.

The floods were not festivals to gain popularity and it was their routine responsibility to help and provide aid to the victims, said Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

“There should not be any discrimination whereby flood evacuees, who were already in trauma, received poor treatment from flood aid teams and their personnel.

“I have received complaints during the previous floods where victims faced problems during registration at relief centres.

“I am ordering the related persons or agencies to serve sincerely during a flood.

“Please work on humanitarian grounds. Forget about differences in political beliefs or the victim’s background,” Tengku Abdullah said during a flood preparation briefing session here yesterday.

He added that victims had already suffered, left behind their belongings and houses, and because of that, they should not be neglected at the relief centres.

Also present were state secretary Datuk Seri Muhammad Safian Ismail, state exco members and heads of department of government agencies.

Tengku Abdullah said he was satisfied with the preparations but there should not be expectations of perfection in its implementation.

He said this was because there could be other matters that might crop up during a flood situation.

“For example, road closures because of rising water level or landslide can jeopardise the logistics in transporting rations to the relief centres. At the same time, the number of victims may keep increasing.

“However, on the whole, we are ready to serve the victims with sufficient food supplies on standby, sufficient number of relief centres and helpers,” he said.

Tengku Abdullah said 666 relief centres would be opened in the affected areas, including in remote areas such as villages in Jerantut and Pulau Tioman.