JOHOR BARU: The National Security Council (NSC) will only act if called upon on any emergencies such as natural disasters or if another health pandemic hits the country on a bigger scale.
Its deputy director-general (security management) Hamzah Ishak said there were several stages that needed to go through before the NSC would be called in by the government.
“Presently, the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), as well as district and state disaster management, will manage any incidents first.
“However, when a disaster becomes bigger, the Prime Minister as well as three relevant ministries would decide whether to pull in the NSC to manage the situation,” he added.
Hamzah said this when met after attending the Johor security forum held at a hotel in Permas Jaya here on Monday (Aug 29).
When asked if this includes managing a disaster in the midst of a general election, he said the council was prepared to face any possibilities.
“Yes, we are ready as during the initial Covid-19 pandemic; there were many crises in political administration, including the transfer of power of the prime minister. As a government agency, we will cooperate and manage any incident that occurs.
“When Covid-19 first hit the country, the Health Ministry initially managed the situation before it was decided for the NSC to take over on March 16, 2020, where two days later, the country was put on lockdown to curb the spread of the disease,” he added.
