KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should not wait until essential supplies are disrupted before preparing its population for emergencies, says an opposition MP.
Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah) said several developed nations have already stepped up efforts to encourage their citizens to prepare for emergencies amid growing geopolitical uncertainties.
She cited the Russia-Ukraine conflict, tensions in the Middle East and warnings by Russian President Vladimir Putin about the possibility of war with Europe.
"What is more worrying is that the US, UK, European countries and Japan are now intensifying efforts to encourage their citizens to make emergency preparations," she said when debating the Supply Bill 2027 at the committee stage in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Nov 2).
She said the UK encouraged households to maintain sufficient food and water supplies for three days, while the EU had set a preparedness target of at least 72 hours.
The US continued to promote emergency preparedness campaigns, while Japan also encouraged households to stockpile food and other essential supplies, she added.
"If developed countries are already taking such measures, what preparations has Malaysia made?" she asked.
Mas Ermieyati urged the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) and National Security Council (NSC) to develop a comprehensive national preparedness plan covering geopolitical conflicts, food and energy supply disruptions and cyberattacks.
She also questioned whether every state and district had identified suitable emergency shelters equipped with water, alternative electricity supplies, food and medical facilities.
"How long can the country's food, rice, fuel and medicine reserves last if imports are disrupted for 30 days?" she asked.
She further called on Nadma to introduce household emergency preparedness guidelines to help Malaysians survive independently for between 72 hours and seven days.
"We are not asking the government to predict when war will break out. We are asking the government to ensure the country is prepared if a crisis happens tomorrow," she said.
Separately, Mas Ermieyati questioned whether the RM260mil allocation announced for Nadma and RM200mil for the National Disaster Relief Trust Fund would be sufficient to respond to large-scale disasters affecting several states simultaneously.
She also sought clarification on the availability of rescue assets, evacuation centres, early warning systems and emergency response training at district and community levels.
