Tag: floods

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Conflict & disaster Environment Politics & government

[1018] Of New Orleans of Malaysia

What had happened in New Orleans during the aftermath of Katrina is happening in Johor. Looting has been reported:

SEGAMAT: The ugly side of human nature has started to emerge from the floods that have hit several states — there are reports of looting and people are claiming that certain parties, including uniformed personnel, have asked for money before rescuing victims.

This is a major disaster, make no mistake of that. But where is the Prime Minister?

Just like in New Orleans, this is becoming a failure in leadership.

Borrowing Bakri Musa’s phrase: Undurlah Pak Lah!

p/s – Ego amid disaster:

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 (Bernama) — Malaysia does not need foreign help to tackle the severe flood situation in the country, which so far has claimed six lives, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak.

Najib, who is also Defence Minister and chairman of the National Disaster Management and Relief Committee, said Malaysia was capable of handling the situation and that flood relief efforts were put in motion the moment floods struck in the states of Johor, Pahang, Kelantan, Negri Sembilan and Melaka.

“We will handle it ourselves. The situation has stabilised… no need (for foreign help),” he said at a press conference at the Defence Ministry here today when asked if Malaysia would accept foreign help in tackling the disaster.

If I were the top executive person in the government, I’d accept any sincere help from anybody.

pp/s – the PM is finally back in Malaysia, more than five days after tragedy struck:

During his visit Saturday, Abdullah took a helicopter ride for an aerial view of the extent of the floods in several districts of Johor, such as Muar, Batu Pahat and Kota Tinggi.

The prime minister also saw the extent of the floods in Melaka.

Categories
Environment Politics & government

[1015] Of where’s Prime Minister Waldo?

Despite all the bad decisions Bush had made, at least during the aftermath of Katrina, when New Orleans fell into anarchy, he as the President of the United States committed himself to the rescue effort mobilized throughout the affected areas. While Johor and several other states are suffering major flooding, one has to wonder, where’s our Prime Minister?

He’s not in Malaysia but instead, he’s still on holiday, vacationing, somewhere abroad. When I read a blogger expressing his disgust of that fact, I share the blogger’s sentiment. Moreover, with people, real Malaysians, are cut off from power, clean water and food as long as four days, the Prime Minister is more interested in defending himself against an allegation that he purchased a MYR 30 million yatch.

As far as the flood is concerned, I honestly believe that our Prime Minister has failed us, Malaysians. In absence of the top executive person in the country, the Deputy Prime Minister taken over the job of sorting this out. The Johor Chief Minister seems to be active in the rescue effort too. Kudos to them but the jury is out there. They will have to excel if both of them prefer history to be kind to them.

I’m so glad that a state-wide emergency has been declared:

Malaysia had declared a state of emergency yesterday and civil defense personnel, volunteers, and members of the armed forces took part in evacuation and rescue operations.

I can’t find any local media reporting an the declaration of the emergency. I’m not sure whether that’s due to my ignorance, the fact that the media has yet to report it or the foreign source is wrong. Assuming good faith, nevertheless, if this is an emergency as I understand it, the emergency allows state and federal machineries to direct full energy into the ongoing rescue effort. The declaration of emergency however makes the Prime Minister looks even worse — Prime Minister is nowhere in sight amid state-sanctioned emergency!

Today, the Prime Minister expresses sadness over the disaster:

Najib said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi expressed his sadness over the flood situation and asked the Federal and state agencies to help the people. Abdullah had conveyed the message to Najib over the phone.

Mr. Prime Minister, merely expressing sadness is not enough. You must act on it. Come back home and supervise the rescue effort in Johor and other states. According to a news report, residents in the affected areas have been without food and water as many as four days. How long since you last had your dinner, Mr. Prime Minister?

Categories
Environment

[1012] Of is the record rainfall in Johor part of a larger trend?

According to news, Johor is practically under water after receiving above average rainfall on Monday and Tuesday. Singapore wasn’t spare either. Record breaking could be use to describe the rainfall in Johor and Singapore.

Bloomberg reports:

Out of 31 monitoring stations in Johor, 24 recorded “very heavy” rainfall of more than 60 millimeters yesterday, according to the Department of Irrigation and Drainage’s Web site. The highest rainfall of 289 millimeters was recorded in Johor Baru.

The Star reports that in Johor, nearly 30,000 people have been evacuated…

MUAR: Nearly 30,000 people have been evacuated in Johor following the extraordinary heavy rainfall over the past three days, Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said.

…while Singapore suffered the worst rainfall in 75 years:

SINGAPORE: Singapore on Tuesday was hit by the third highest rainfall recorded in 75 years.

The 24-hour rainfall recorded was 366 mm.

About a year ago, northern Malaysian states along with southern Thai states suffered record breaking rainfall that caused massive flood. China, Japan and Vietnam each suffer their own record breaking snow and rainfall. Keep in mind while that occurred, the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active seasons in recorded history. In An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore said “…Japan reported a record number of typhoons“.

The historic disaster in Johor makes me think, is it possible to link it to climate change?

The world is currently experiencing El Niño and El Niño is supposed to bring less rainfall to Southeast Asia on average, not more. If it’s true that climate change should cause more rainfall in this part of the world, and if it’s true that El Niño had actually reduced the amount of rainfall in Southeast Asia, imagine what it would be like if there were no El Niño.

In Malaysia, the mainstream society never really gives the issue of climate change a thought. We’re too pre-occupied with moral policing, religion, ethnicity and other trivial things appeal to our inferiority complex that do nothing to solve real pressing issues like the economy, education and the environment. It’s time for us to at least pay a little more attention to the environment and investigate the possible link between extreme natural climatic disasters that are hitting us year by year lately with a global trend that is climate change.