PUTRAJAYA: In order to streamline the country's emergency response strategies, the government will be setting up the National Disaster Management Council, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said the aim of the council is to have better integration between federal- and state-level authorities.
He said to ensure nationwide representation, the council's permanent membership will include all Mentris Besar, Chief Ministers and the Premier of Sarawak.
At a press conference on Wednesday (April 8) after a Cabinet meeting, Fahmi said the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) had been appointed as the council's official secretariat.
"Meetings will be convened immediately following the conclusion of the periodic Mentris Besar and Chief Ministers' conferences," he said.
Fahmi also addressed Cabinet discussions on the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States.
While the Malaysian government welcomed the temporary cessation of hostilities, Fahmi warned of the lingering economic effects caused by the conflict.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim briefed the Cabinet on the 10-point plan from Iran and the 15-point plan from the United States, expressing hope that the two-week ceasefire would allow for a finalised peace agreement.
However, he cautioned that the damage to global energy infrastructure would not be rectified overnight.
"Even with this temporary peace, we will continue to feel the impact of the conflict due to the damage caused to energy ecosystems and infrastructure in the Gulf states."
Fahmi said the Cabinet and the Economic Action Council were told that repairing storage tanks, pipelines and processing facilities could take anywhere from several months to several years.
Furthermore, he said logistical bottlenecks remain a primary concern for global supply chains, with approximately 2,000 vessels still trapped in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Movement in the strait is slow. These are massive vessels carrying highly flammable fuel so their journey is inherently time-consuming," he said.
Fahmi emphasised that the government's immediate priority is to secure the domestic supply chain to shield the public from external volatility.
