Why is there no emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss the flood disaster management crisis which is in complete disarray, riddled with abuses and crippled by bureaucratic red tape 

Press Statement

by Lim Guan Eng

(Petaling Jaya, Friday): DAP express surprise that there is no emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss the flood disaster management crisis which is widely acknowledged as being in complete disarray, riddled with abuses and crippled by bureaucratic red tape. No amount of false reporting and glowing publicity in the government-controlled media can hide the anger and sense of utter frustration and disenchantment felt by flood victims at the rescue services and relief aid offered by government agencies in handling the biggest flood to hit the country since 1969.

The anger is strongest in Segamat, Johor, which suffered the most from the floods. One woman died because no rescue boat came despite promises of help by government agencies during the past 24 hours. During the height of the flooding in 6 states, rescue work was so poor that many victims had to depend on their own to save themselves and one woman died because no government agencies came to rescue them as promised.

At the same time, reports of rescue workers demanding cash payments from victims and complete breakdown in crisis management only worsened the crisis and suffering of the 80,000 flood victims evacuated. If not for voluntary organizations (such as Buddist Tzu Chi and Tian Li) who saved lives and helped the victims, many more lives than the 11 deaths would have been lost.

Despite the severity of extensive floods, Minister and Deputy Ministers on holidays overseas refused to cut short their holidays paid by taxpayers to return home. Such callous indifference and disregard for the sufferings for the flood victims shows the lack of accountability brought about by arrogance of power.

DAP asks Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi or his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak whether there was an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss measures to overcome the flood disaster. To-date there appears to be neither any special Cabinet decision announced on the floods nor any weekly Cabinet meetings. The government should announce whether Abdullah is on holiday or are there not enough Ministers to hold regular and proper weekly Cabinet meetings because most Ministers are still on holiday overseas.

The failure by Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries to return home during such a major crisis shows the failure not only of the government’s delivery system but also the failure of good governance. The failure to hold an emergency Cabinet meeting to deal with the flood disaster is unforgivable desertion and dereliction of duty.