Rising Climate Risks Call For National Disaster Management Council - Lee Lam Thye

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- The establishment of a National Disaster Management Council, proposed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, is urgently needed to provide centralised leadership and long-term planning amid Malaysia’s growing climate-related disaster risks.

The Alliance For A Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the country’s existing disaster management approach, which has largely focused on seasonal monsoon floods, is no longer adequate in the face of increasingly frequent and unpredictable climate-related disasters.

“Today, Malaysia is facing intense rainfall events, flash floods in urban areas, landslides, coastal erosion, prolonged heatwaves, droughts, and forest fires, often occurring outside traditional monsoon periods and affecting areas previously considered low-risk.

“This new reality demands a paradigm shift from fragmented, reactive responses to a coherent, forward-looking national strategy. The establishment of a National Disaster Management Council would provide the necessary institutional framework to achieve this,” he said in a statement today.

The proposed council should have a clear mandate to provide strategic direction, coordination, and oversight, with a role that goes beyond emergency response and relief to focus on disaster risk reduction, preparedness, resilience-building, and climate-informed planning, he added.

“The council should formulate a national disaster risk and resilience strategy to ensure disaster risk considerations are integrated into development planning, land use policies, housing, infrastructure and environmental management.

“Disaster preparedness must be treated as a national priority and a security issue, not merely a humanitarian concern,” he said.

Given the growing impact of climate change, Lee said the council should also lead comprehensive climate-related risk assessments and regularly update national hazard maps based on the latest scientific data and projections, noting that past experience can no longer be relied upon as a guide.

He said effective disaster management also requires strong coordination across federal, state and local authorities.

“A National Disaster Management Council would help eliminate duplication, address jurisdictional gaps and ensure clear command structures during emergencies,” he said, adding that greater emphasis must be placed on preparedness, prevention and transparency in disaster-related spending.

Lee said the council should also play a critical role in oversight and accountability, conducting post-disaster reviews to identify weaknesses, draw lessons, and improve future responses, emphasising that transparency in disaster-related spending and aid distribution is essential to maintaining public trust.

On Thursday, Ahmad Zahid proposed establishing a National Disaster Management Council as the highest authority for coordinating disaster management and disaster risk reduction.

-- BERNAMA