Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged the private sector to assist with flood aid.
He told Prime Minister’s Department staff this morning that the aid can be funds or machinery.
“It would be good not only to provide funds but also to prepare machinery.
“Let every private company from Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Penang also come down to the ground so they see the problems of the people’s lives, their poverty, hardships which they face with full patience,” he said in his monthly address to his department.
Yesterday, Bernama reported that the death toll from the recent floods has reached six.
As of 9am, the National Disaster Management Agency’s portal said over 137,000 people were still in evacuation centres.
Eight states in the peninsula have been affected so far.
Strength of Malaysians
In his speech, Anwar praised Malaysians for their spirit in facing the floods.
The premier provided an anecdote of an unnamed Chinese man from Bukit Mertajam, Penang whom he had met.
“He wasn’t from any NGO or anything like that.
“He organised 10 lorries of food, he sent them to Kelantan and he informed the Malaysian Armed Forces for their help to coordinate (to the flood victims).
“This is the strength of Malaysians.
“It happens that he was from Penang, a Chinese (person). He thought this is a problem we’re facing together,” Anwar said.
He also expressed gratitude to everyone who mobilised to aid with the floods.
An additional allocation has been prepared for rehabilitation efforts once the flood waters recede, he added.
Anwar said the allocation will be used to improve schools and temporary evacuation centres as well as toilet cleaning facilities, among others.
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