THE Penang government will receive the same help rendered to the Kelantan government when it was hit by massive floods in 2014, says Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, were in Penang earlier today to visit flood victims in Seberang Prai.

They were briefed by the state Irrigation and Drainage Department on the situation affecting thousands of people following the downpour and strong winds that hit Penang starting on Saturday.

“We have identified 13 large and small flood mitigation projects worth RM1 billion. For now, the federal government has approved RM150 million for the projects.

“The federal government is willing to consider additional funds based on our financial capacity. I have also requested for a meeting to be held between the federal and state governments to find out how to address flood problems through the flood mitigation process,” he said at Sekolah Agama Rakyat Ar- Ridwan Tasek Gelugor, Penang.

He said the federal government has always put the welfare and the safety of the people first.

“It has always been the federal government’s priority. That’s our attitude. So, when the waters rose in Kelantan, we helped. Likewise, with Penang. We will also help,” said Najib.

Both Penang and Kelantan are run by opposition-led state governments, namely DAP and PAS respectively.

DAP is part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition formed with one aim – to topple Najib’s administration in the next general election.

PAS, however, has a close yet rocky relationship with Umno, the Malay-centric political party at the helm of the Barisan Nasional coalition that has governed Malaysia for the past 60 years. 

In 2014, Kelantan was hit by major floods that many said was contributed by extreme logging activities in the state. About 200,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes.

In Penang, the number of flood victims decreased to 6,080 today compared with 6,243 victims previously as flood conditions improved.

Najib said that the cooperation between the state and federal governments had been great and both parties worked throughout the night to help flood victims.

“From rescuing victims to distributing food and blankets, as Penang Chief Minister (Lim Guan Eng) can confirm, this is how we help the people of any state hit by natural disasters.

“The federal government is willing to lend help with the instruction coming from me and the deputy prime minister. In general, the people are satisfied with the help from the state and federal government.”

During the visit today, Rosmah also handed a RM110,000 contribution to the Penang Development Centre and state’s Natural Disaster Agency. – November 7, 2017.