Semambu assemblyman Lee Chean Chung said a transparent and comprehensive investigation will provide answers to the 10,000 flood victims in the state and the public.

“The government must ensure that a transparent investigation is conducted and present the resolutions from the investigation,” the PKR treasurer said in a statement today.

It was earlier reported that the Pahang forestry department had issued a temporary halt on logging in the state because of the floods.

The order follows public criticism against the department after a massive amount of wood debris was swept up by floodwaters in the Telemong area, which some have claimed was the result of illegal and uncontrolled logging.

Lee said the temporary halt appeared as though the department was admitting that logging was one of the factors that caused the floods in Pahang.

He claimed that the people had been kept in the dark over deforestation and logging activities.

He also criticised the state government for not siding with the public in environmental issues such as the pollution at Tasik Chini and the controversy surrounding the Lynas rare earths plant.

Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy recently said while visiting flood-affected areas in Karak and Bentong it was clear to him that rivers in the area could not cope with the sudden increase in water level.

He said the state forestry department cannot deny the effects that logging had on floods.