Hisham: Flotilla mission a success
Undertaking reflects Malaysia’s pledge to help the Rohingya people
PORT KLANG: The Food Flotilla For Myanmar, which delivered food, water and medical supplies to the displaced Rohingya community in Myanmar and Bangladesh, was a big success.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who welcomed the flotilla’s volunteers after their 21day voyage on board the vessel Nautical Aliya at the Boustead Cruise Centre here yesterday, said it was a worthwhile effort.
“This mission is the first humanitarian mission from Malaysia to help the Rohingya community in Myanmar and Bangladesh via sea.
“It has successfully made it into the Malaysia Book of Records as being the biggest humanitarian aid donated to one nation,” Hishammuddin said after receiving the entourage which arrived at the jetty at 9.30am.
The ship set sail on Feb 3, with about 2,200 tonnes of food and 230 volunteers from 30 NGOs from 13 nations.
PAS and Umno members also volunteered and worked sidebyside in the humanitarian voyage.
The effort was a joint initiative between Putera 1Malaysia Club and Consultative Council of Islam Organisations.
Hishammuddin said the mission was meaningful because it showed that Malaysians were concerned about the plight of the needy.
According to Hishammuddin, the mission also projected Malaysia as a voice of reason.
He said the flotilla mission was important because it brought many people together regardless of differing stands and political ideologies.
Food Flotilla For Myanmar head and Putera 1Malaysia Club president Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim said it would be sending 1,000 tube wells and 10,000 portable toilets to the Rohingya refugee camps in Myanmar and Bangladesh in a followup to the mission.
A tube well is the insertion of a stainless steel pipe into the ground to harvest water.
He said Hishammuddin would launch the tube well programme in Parliament when sitting commences early next month and all the 222 MPs would be roped in to contribute.
“We also need to get the portable toilets as there are no toilets there,’’ said Abdul Azeez.
Also at the cruise centre to welcome the volunteers were Health Minister Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam and Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong.