The Malaysian Insight

RELIEF workers are bypassing government aid collection centres to give help directly to flood victims to avoid bureaucracy.

They said going door-to-door was the fastest and most effective way.

Amira Aisya Abd Aziz, who is Muda secretary-general, said flood victims have told the party’s volunteers that aid has been slow to reach them.

“On the ground, we don’t go to the government centres. We don’t know if the items are being held back, but from going from house-to-house, we received feedback that they (the victims) have not received aid,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Victims who live in flood-prone areas also shared that previously, it took six months for government aid to reach them.

“In other places prone to floods, they (victims) said from past experiences, it took at least six months for aid to reach them, and by then it was too late because they have rebuilt on their own,” Amira added.

This is one of the main reasons Muda, which collected more than RM2 million and rallied thousands of volunteers for flood relief programmes, has opted to deal directly with those affected by the  deluge over the weekend of December 18 and 19.

“We give aid straight to the victims, so that they get it as fast as possible for them to restart their livelihoods.

“We’re not sure if the government items reach them, but with bureaucracy, it will take time.”

Segar, a volunteer from Kuala Lumpur, has been travelling to Mentakab, Pahang, every other day to deliver aid collected from individuals and civil society groups in a three-tonne lorry.

He claimed that items donated to government relief centres are sitting in warehouses instead of being disbursed to victims.

“No way will we give the goods to collection centres. Earlier, we were giving items to the government warehouse but when we checked, the warehouse was full of items, especially food, that were going bad as they have been sitting there for days.

“When we asked why the items were not being distributed, we were told that they were waiting for VIPs to conduct a handover ceremony.

“People are suffering and this is what they are doing. I don’t know what they are doing.”

There have also been complaints that aid boxes provided by the government contained barely enough necessities.

“The things they are giving, you can laugh at them. The box is huge but there is so little.”

Segar said the boxes only contain three packets of instant noodles, some buns and two cans of milk.

He is not affiliated with any civil society group but has been pooling funds with friends to buy and deliver items such as clothes, food, hygiene items, mattresses and blankets, in a lorry he was able to borrow.

Yap Chun Wei, a 19-year-old who has been helping out in Shah Alam, said while there is government aid being provided, it doesn’t reach many of the victims.

“Some miss out on the items as they are busy cleaning their houses and doing repair works. We also have problems with some individuals taking more than they should but there is nothing we can do to stop them,” he said.

In Sri Muda, Shah Alam, where thousands were affected, whatever aid that is being provided is also not enough to go around.

“We have a lot of stuff here, but it’s still not enough. There are a lot of people in Sri Muda.

“What we give out is very little to them. The items can be used up in a day, maybe even less,” said Yap.

The December 18 weekend flood inundated several areas and states including the Klang Valley, Pahang, Kelantan, Malacca and Negri Sembilan.

Thousands were left on rooftops overnight while waiting for rescue while many more are in flood relief centres.

Over the new year weekend, heavy downpour also led to renewed flooding in several areas.

To date, a total of 125,490 people have been affected by the floods nationwide, 117,700 of whom have returned home. – January 5, 2022.