PETALING JAYA: An NGO has urged the government to drop special functions minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad, who heads the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), for failing to address the major floods that have hit several states.
Pertubuhan Kemasyarakatan Rakyat president Faizan Nor said Latiff’s statement that the agency only manages victim compensation and is not involved in flood management is highly disappointing.
In a statement, Faizan said the group could not accept the minister’s explanation, as Nadma was supposed to be the top disaster management agency in charge of organising and coordinating relief efforts.
He said flood victims were currently waiting for action from the country’s top leaders, especially those in charge of Nadma, to help them through the disaster.
“As far as compensation goes, that’s something the insurance companies can handle,” he said.
Faizan said the government must take the issue seriously as many would see its handling of the disaster as a yardstick for its performance ahead of the 15th general election.
Latiff had previously been quoted as saying that Nadma was not directly involved in dealing with natural disasters such as floods at the state level, and was largely responsible for providing compensation after being provided information by relevant state authorities.