INSTITUTE for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) chief executive officer Wan Saiful Wan Jan says in light of the terrible aftermath and the weak organisation by the state and federal governments, the nation needs a permanent disaster response unit along the lines of the Smart team.

“When political parties come in to gain political mileage, this just sends a message that these guys are just in it for political gain. What we need, what the government should establish, is a relief management committee.

“In future, this should be automatic and it should be a fixed government appointment to prepare us in the event of a disaster,” says Wan Saiful.

A relief management committee will already have all the necessary data to render aid as contingency plans are already in place.

He agrees with Zaid that the general attitude of the politicians and the civil service is a bane to relief efforts.

“It’s just that all this while the flood victims are the poor, so there is no sense of urgency. It’s a wrong attitude. If a VIP shows up at the airport on the other hand, you will have these guys bending over backwards to attend to his needs.”

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 2, 2015.