No problems in distributing aid to flood victims, say Johor MB

JOHOR BARU: There have been no problems arising from giving out aid to victims affected by the floods in Johor, says Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad (pic).

He, however, added that even if there were delays in giving assistance, it was just in isolated cases.

"This is not the first time that disasters such as floods have hit Johor and there is no difficulty in ensuring aid was delivered to the victims.

"I believe there is nothing that can stop or make it difficult for aid to reach the flood victims," he said when met after attending the Johor Entrepreneurs Award 2020 held at Persada International Convention Centre here on Monday (Jan 10).

Hasni did not deny that miscommunication might have led to confusion in giving out aid for flood victims at some temporary relief centres (PPS).

"Initially, there might be only 10 families listed at a PPS but the real number could be 15 families and this might have caused their tents to arrive late.

"But I do not feel there were any major problems arising," he added.

Meanwhile, when asked about the estimated losses due to floods in Johor, Hasni said the amount could only be assessed after the situation in the state fully recovered and all PPS were closed.

He said the total loss would be assessed in the form of property including damage to plantations and farms.

On Sunday, Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman claimed a family had asked for the party's help as they had been waiting a long time for aid which had yet to arrive.

"We went to their assistance and when the police reprimanded us, it was the villagers who came to our defence and argued that the standard operating procedure (SOP) was making things difficult," he said in a tweet on Sunday (Jan 9).

His tweet included a link to an article in The Star that quoted Johor Tourism, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi as saying that the police had a responsibility to investigate reports against anyone who did not follow proper procedure.

The back-and-forth started after Onn Hafiz said on Sunday (Jan 9) morning that nobody was above the law, including Syed Saddiq and Muda.

He was referring to an incident in which six Muda volunteers were called up by police on Saturday (Jan 8) for providing aid to flood victims directly without going through official channels.

Onn Hafiz added that many parties had come to the aid of flood victims from the Johor royal family to the state government, government agencies to non-governmental organisations and volunteers; and they did not face any problems as they followed proper procedure and coordinated with the respective district offices.