Nazri: I wasn't asking people to party when I suggested 'voluntourism'

 

Padang Rengas MP Nazri Abdul Aziz said he was not asking people to go to disaster-stricken areas to enjoy themselves or party when he suggested the country’s annual floods could be a source of “voluntourism” or volunteer tourism.

Voluntourism, he said, is a recognised branch of tourism by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and refers to those who travel to help with disaster relief efforts such as cleaning up the villages or the coastline.

“This is something that has been done like in Haiti and all that, so it is nothing new.

“In our own country, there are young people who are very empathetic, and they want to go help and be volunteers… bring in supplies, food and so on. They have the money, and they are very eager.

“I am not asking people to go there to enjoy themselves, so they (his critics) need to study and understand it (voluntourism) before they say I have no empathy. That’s rubbish,” Nazri said when contacted by Malaysiakini today.

Nazri said there is a need to coordinate disaster relief efforts, specifically between the authorities and those who are eager to volunteer and send supplies.

Voluntourism is a way to organise and coordinate these efforts, he said, especially as authorities sometimes see volunteers as a “nuisance” as they come “from all over” and send supplies to places which are not needed and so on.

Nazri said he had done this during his nine years as the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of disaster management previously, and it was well-received by both the authorities and the volunteers.

“When I was minister, I had done this… they coordinated, they had a place where you register what you want to bring (in terms of) supplies. Then the authorities direct them where to go, so there won’t be any conflict of interest, and the authorities should not see them as competition.

“So, to me, if you coordinate this, then really, you are not stopping the eagerness of the young people to be involved in this.

“They want to help, so voluntourism is something positive. We should not dampen their eagerness,” he said.

Voluntourism will also help boost the economy of the local community affected by the disaster, he explained, as those volunteers will stay for more than one day to help, and they will need a place to stay and food to eat.

“In a way, if you do voluntourism, it helps these homestays to get income, and when they (volunteers) come in big numbers, the caterers can earn some by providing food for them.

“So this is the voluntourism I am talking about, to help the local community.

“I am not talking nonsense. I am talking about a sector of tourism which helps everybody – it helps the victims, the volunteers, the authorities, the homestay owners, the caterers and so on. What’s wrong with that?” Nazri asked.

Flood mitigation not ignored

The Padang Rengas MP was responding to criticisms from Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Ketari assemblyperson Young Syefura Othman. Both had slammed Nazri for his “voluntourism” remarks.

Saddiq had said efforts should be made to resolve disasters like floods as they cause devastating damage and loss of lives instead of presenting them as a source of tourism.

Young Syefura, whose state constituency was one of the worst-hit areas during last December’s nationwide flooding crisis, had questioned Nazri's empathy and sensitivity to this issue.

Nazri said the two young politicians should be glad there are people their age who want to help with disaster relief efforts.

He also said efforts to promote voluntourism should be parallel to the various flood mitigation work the government has already undertaken.

However, regardless of the government’s efforts to resolve the annual floods, especially on the East Coast, he said natural disasters are out of human control.

“Monsoon on the East Coast has been a very certain annual disaster for as long as I can remember. It is not a new phenomenon.

“If Mother Earth says it is going to flood every year, how are you going to fix this? Are you going to get a bomoh (shaman) to come and stop the rain?

“It is not easy. We have built bunds, we have deepened the rivers and so on… but if they (Saddiq and Young Syefura) have good ideas, they should have come and given us the ideas that they think the government hasn’t done.

“As long as it is not to call for a bomoh to stop the rain,” Nazri quipped.

Previously, Nazri was quoted as saying by Sinar Daily, the English version of Malay daily Sinar Harian, that tourists could help with volunteer work during the floods.

“If you know it is coming, then start planning now.

“Maybe we can have voluntary tourism where people come to the country to help us with the floods, and it is not about them coming here just to enjoy but for them to also learn,” he had said. - Mkini