A multifarious deluge

AFTER nearly two years of relentless tumult brought about by political agitation and Covid-19, the collective emotions of Malaysians faced yet another unwelcome test in the form of devastating floods hitting both urban and rural swathes of the country.

There was horror as social media showed in real time water rising in houses and neighbourhoods, destroying not only furniture and vehicles, but cherished family heirlooms and important documents as well. There was sadness when the extent of the damage was assessed in homes and offices, with charities and businesses crippled by submerged computers, waterlogged goods and access being physically impeded by objects moved by the flowage.

Most of all, there was despair when it emerged that people were stuck for days without access to drinking water, food, sanitation or shelter. Images of elderly citizens and dozens of pets perched precariously on roofs or even on improvised flotation aids rightfully contributed to huge public anger, but also action.

For in many cases it was (and by now it’s unsurprising) non-governmental actors who were first at the scene, distributing supplies by jeep, boat or even kayak.

Across the deluged states, members of royalty, whether wearing their army berets or NGO hats, also brought much-needed resources and attention to the affected areas. Some companies took steps to ensure the well-being of their staff, and some insurers were especially prompt in responding to claims.

Houses of worship were particularly visible – Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Jaya’s cooking of food and Masjid Bandar Bukit Raja’s providing of shelters come to mind – but even here some naysayers attempted to cause unfounded and unnecessary division. Notable actions were taken by several MPs and political parties, although ministers deploying brooms and high pressure water jets – or holding launch events complete with backdrops to announce their aid – were less universally appreciated.

Especially at times of disaster, social media can be rather extreme at praising those who appear sincere and condemning those who appear to be grandstanding – usually based on the audience’s pre-existing opinion of the person.

At the end of the day, it is the community involved who will know the truth. At the same time, many of those who want to contribute will decide that raising funds or even setting up online tools to share data will be more impactful than simply appearing to be on the ground.

But when it comes to the official government response – from communicating to citizens and actually getting supplies out – the almost unanimous view is that it has been lamentably incompetent and disorganised.

The role of the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma, though an alternative Malay acronym popularised on Twitter is Apekebenda) and its relationship with the military (which has much more experience in responding quickly to emergency situations) and state bodies has been much queried, and politicians wasted no time in blaming each other.

All this highlights the vital role of policymaking in planning who exactly has authority over what in times of emergency.

One would have thought that Covid-19 would have catalysed thinking over this. But no.

Think tanks will repeat their calls for proper decentralisation of decision-making power and clarity over lines of command, and hope that ministers, parliamentarians and state legislators actually work to improve policies and legislation.

Having said this, the even more important policies and legislation come in preventing such disasters in the first place.

Environmental NGOs rightly point out the accelerating impacts of climate change, but even long before that, basic problems of ensuring proper drainage and water retention have been insufficient, whether because the policies themselves are inadequate, or whether they are ignored because politicians and regulators are compromised by bribery or outright co-opted by loggers or developers.

(But important note to not tar everyone with the same brush: some not only follow, but exceed legal requirements by contributing to sustainable solutions.)

Dealing with this holistically requires strengthening fundamental aspects of governance, and this is why there is a profound link between disaster prevention on the one hand, and transparency, anti-corruption, parliamentary scrutiny, media freedom and a healthy civil society on the other hand.

In the past week, I have spoken to so many people who have dedicated their time and resources to help those affected.

They speak universally of an amazing Malaysian spirit of unity and fortitude, and feel proud at being able to contribute to those who had the misfortune of living in a flood-prone area. Yet, they feel relatively powerless in shaping the policies that would prevent such floods in the first place.

As disasters like this increase in frequency, our leaders must take heed or become victims not just of the disasters they create, but of political defeat too.

Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin is the founding president of Ideas. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.