Headless’ govt showing no urgency to deal with floods

Tony Pua regrets that while the PM vacations in Hawaii, the DPM who is supposed to be in charge refuses to ‘crack the whip’ on the NSC.

PETALING JAYA: DAP National Publicity Secretary Tony Pua issued a harsh statement describing the government as “headless” and singling out the deputy prime minister for refusing to declare a state of emergency despite the crippling flood situation in the country.

Saying Muhydiddin Yassin’s statement of “I am in charge, don’t worry. Have trust in me,” was his “lamest” ever, Pua said it only proved the DPM was “running a headless government … with no urgent, cohesive and proactive response to the arising chaos.”

Pua, who is also MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, criticised Muhyddin for taking too long to call for a meeting with the National Security Council considering the flood situation was getting from bad to worse rapidly.

He said, “It proves the complete failure of the Government when the NSC has not met despite the rapidly worsening flood crisis which started not yesterday but nearly two weeks ago.”

Criticising Muhyiddin for being too laid back, Pua lamented that the DPM “did not see any urgency to crack the whip on the NSC” and added, “Given the scale of the crisis, the NSC should have been meeting on a daily basis to cope with managing and directing the gigantic government bureaucracy as highlighted by Dato’ Seri Mustapa.”

Pua was referring to a statement by UMNO Kelantan Chief, Mustapa Mohamed who said “although preparations on paper were smooth, the reality was different.”

Pua also ridiculed the NSC secretary for getting his priorities all wrong by reprimanding rumour mongers instead of executing rescue and relief operations for those afflicted by the floods.

“Instead, all we have heard three days ago was the National Security Council secretary Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab warning people against spreading false rumours regarding the flood situation.

“He was more concerned with going after those responsible for starting the rumours once the flood in the East Coast had abated.”

Regretting that the Federal Government was not acting “with purpose, efficiency and urgency to deal with the crisis,” Pua insisted Prime Minister Najib Razak cut short his vacation in Hawaii and “return to the country with his golf irons immediately to ‘beat’ the members of his Cabinet and National Security Council into shape.”

Pua added, “The Cabinet and Council must not rest until the flood disaster is over.”

The number of flood evacuees continued to escalate as more than 100,000 people have been displaced in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak and Perlis as a result of the worst natural disaster to hit Malaysia in recent history.