PUTRAJAYA, December 29 – Over the past week, several states have been hit by massive floods. Our large families in Selangor, Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Sabah, Johor, Kedah and Kuala Lumpur had to go through difficult episodes due to the disaster.
The dwellings where they built life were submerged in water. The property was badly damaged. There is also drift carried by the current. Even sadder, some of them have lost their most precious possessions, their beloved family members, forever. I am very sympathetic and offer my condolences to the families of the victims. To the Muslims, let us all give Al-Fatihah and pray for the souls of the victims to be placed with the righteous.
For non -Muslims, let us meditate for a moment and realize this tragedy. The Government will ensure that all assistance and facilities to flood victims are implemented comprehensively, effectively and comprehensive under the Malaysian Family Flood Relief with a total value of RM1.4 billion. Under this initiative, the government has implemented several improvements in relation to Benevolent Fund or BWI, including:
First: RM1,000 ringgit to each Head of Household or KIR affected by the floods;
Second: Distribute to all affected KIRs including those who have not moved to Temporary Evacuation Centers or PPS;
Third: RM10,000 to the next of kin of the deceased victim;
Fourth: Victims affected by floods can claim BWI every time a disaster strikes compared to before only once during the Northeast Monsoon.
Realizing that the flood victims needed cash, the state governments had made the BWI payment which had already started on December 27 and is expected to be completed this week. However, Selangor and Pahang may be a little late due to the large number of victims.
For this purpose, I have instructed the relevant parties to simplify the payment process without any bureaucracy or without having to fill in various forms as before. As of the latest data, over 30,000 KIRs have been registered to receive BWIs. NADMA has already channeled the initial allocation of BWI of RM34 million to 11 states. Regarding the BWI payment for death, a total of 25 beneficiaries have already received RM10,000 assistance as announced.
The government has also allocated a total of RM100 million to mobilize post-flood works. Apart from that, the government also added another RM50 million specifically for the states of Selangor and Pahang for the same purpose. This allocation will be used to carry out repair and cleaning work on residents’ houses and damaged public facilities.
Currently, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) together with the National Solid Waste Management Department (JPSPN), Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) and the appointed contractor are actively carrying out clean-up work in the affected areas. with the catastrophic floods.
To expedite the work of collecting, cleaning and sending flood waste to landfills, KPKT has increased the number of energy sources by appointing more contractors to go down to the field, including areas that were previously inaccessible.
With that, the government has allocated an additional RM10 million, among others, to fund flood waste collection services as well as road cleaning works, public facilities and the victims’ yard. As of 28 December 2021, a total of 3,000 tonnes of flood waste has been cleaned in five affected states, namely Selangor, Pahang, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka, involving more than 1,700 workers under the supervision of KPKT.
To increase cash access to victims in need, Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) with a total fund of RM100 million has offered financing of up to RM10,000 at a rate of 0 percent with a repayment period of up to 3.5 years including a six -month repayment moratorium. Apart from that, Bank Negara Malaysia also with the availability of RM500 million has provided Disaster Relief Facility or DRF through commercial banks which is up to RM500,000 to SME entrepreneurs and up to RM75,000 to micro entrepreneurs.
The financing period is up to five years including a repayment moratorium of up to six months with a financing rate of up to 3.5 per cent per annum. Applications for BSN loans and DRF funds began to open on 27 December 2021. For information, in the first two days alone, as of 28 December 2021, BSN has received an application value of RM25 million and has already approved a loan worth RM10 million.
To ensure comprehensive assistance, in addition to cash assistance, the government will also provide home and personal vehicle repair assistance as well as basic necessities assistance to flood victims. As is well known, Government Linked Investment Companies or GLICs and Government Linked Companies or GLCs have established the GLIC/GLC Disaster Response Network or GDRN to mobilize efforts to address and provide assistance to flood victims.
To date, the GDRN has helped about 15,000 families since 19 December 2021. Furthermore, as I have announced, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) will provide a 100 per cent rebate on electricity bills to domestic consumers affected by the floods for December 2021.
Realizing that the flood disaster also caused damage to many electrical appliances in the house, I am pleased to announce that the government has agreed to provide vouchers to flood victims for the purchase of damaged electrical appliances.
Each eligible KIR can apply for and obtain a voucher worth RM500 when making a purchase either physically at a registered store and supermarket or on an e-commerce platform recognized by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. To alleviate the burden of flood victims who suffered damage to their personal vehicles, several initiatives were also implemented, namely:
- Perodua will provide a car towing service to the Perodua service center free of charge. Perodua also agreed to provide free repair and related service costs and a 50% discount on spare parts.
- Proton has also agreed to give a 50% discount on spare parts for most car models as well as offer free towing and car wash charges at their registered service centers.
- For other car companies, almost all have agreed to provide free towing services and a discount of 25% or more, on spare parts and repair wages at the center registered service. Some companies also offer payment in installments up to a period of one year.
- Voucher of RM1,000 to be used for the purpose of repair or purchase to replace a personal vehicle that has suffered total damage.
The Government has always taken a holistic approach through various initiatives and measures to ensure the welfare of Malaysian families is always guaranteed. Hopefully, all the above initiatives can help ease the burden of Malaysian families affected by the floods. Together we work and pray that the impact of this flood disaster can be addressed immediately so that we can focus on economic recovery and growth next year.
