PM Anwar Wants Infrastructure Repair, Aid To Flood Victims In Sabah To Be Expedited

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants efforts to channel aid to flood and landslide victims in Sabah and to repair damaged infrastructure in the state to be carried out immediately.

Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, stressed that work to repair damaged building and road infrastructure caused by natural disasters in Sabah is a priority, and needs to be expedited without going through the normal process.

This, he said, includes constructing a new building at the Gaya Teacher Education Institute (IPG) campus here, which was affected by a landslide recently.

"I don't want (us) to follow the normal process because this flood and the damage are not a normal thing. If we follow the normal process, it will take too long to complete the access road.

"As such, I have asked that the process be expedited,” he told reporters after surveying the landslide site at the Gaya Teacher Education Institute (IPG) campus here today, accompanied by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Anwar said infrastructure repair efforts and aid distribution to disaster victims will be coordinated between the Federal government and the government of Sabah to ensure they can be carried out immediately.

For now, he said, he has approved an immediate allocation of RM10 million through the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) to assist flood victims in Sabah.

"Now, we only assist the families with food, drinks and shelter. But, we are seeing some needs that will definitely require more allocations after the initial flood relief.

"However, the total estimated cost (of infrastructure restoration allocations) required has not yet been submitted,” he said.

Anwar also thanked all the Federal and Sabah government agency machinery for always being on the alert and working hard to evacuate flood victims to temporary relief centres, besides striving to restore power supplies to the affected areas.

"Thank you to the Chief Minister (Hajiji) and the Sabah government for swiftly carrying out these efforts,” he said.

On the Gaya IPG campus, Anwar said that Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek had submitted an early report to the Cabinet on Wednesday (Sept 17), and the government is awaiting the final report regarding the matter.

"We will wait for the engineering report as to whether it can remain (or) be redeveloped here. We will negotiate with the state government to get a new area to be developed as soon as possible,” he said.

According to the Sabah State Disaster Management Committee, a total of 2,256 people from 710 families are sheltering at temporary relief centres.

The landslides in the state have so far claimed 13 lives, while one died due to floods.

-- BERNAMA