Close ties with federal govt vital, says Ongkili

 

Sabah and Sarawak affairs minister Maximus Ongkili presenting cash assistance to a flood victim in Kota Marudu today.

KOTA KINABALU: The swift disbursement of financial assistance to flood victims in Sabah is due to the close rapport between the state and federal governments, said Sabah and Sarawak affairs minister Maximus Ongkili.

Pointing out that the RM1,000 cash aid for Sabah households was disbursed within just three weeks, he said maintaining a good relationship with the federal government was essential to ensure that the plight of the people was addressed.

The Kota Marudu MP said this was not the case with Selangor, as their inexperience in managing disasters and the absence of a close working relationship with Putrajaya compounded the problems arising from the floods.

“Even if the state government is financially strong, without experience in disaster management, you still need to work with federal government agencies to ensure that people’s needs are covered,” he said today during an aid presentation programme in his constituency.

“That is why a close rapport between the state and federal governments is important.

“And in Sabah, we are lucky the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government is able to communicate well with the federal government.”

A total of 1,161 households in Sabah were affected by the recent floods, 332 of which had received financial assistance, while the remaining 829 received theirs today.

Ongkili said that about RM1.4 billion had been allocated by the government for flood victims in six states, including Sabah. Each household entitled to assistance could receive between RM10,000 to RM61,000 depending on the severity of their losses. - FMT