THE Defence Ministry is always prepared to mobilise assets should floods take place in the upcoming general election.

Its senior minister Hishammuddin Hussein said he would also discuss with state leaders and receive briefings regarding the flood situation in each state.

He said he had held discussions with Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi recently and would be meeting caretaker Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail soon.

“If everyone plays their role, and there is coordination between the federal agencies and state governments, I think there is no reason why any party would feel threatened should the floods hit (during GE15).

“I have told the armed forces should flooding take place during GE15, they need to be prepared to do more than what they have done before.

“God willing we will be able to handle the floods as how we had dealt with the (flood) problem in Kelantan before,” he told a press conference after a ceremony to hand over Notice 5A to 282 families at Felda Bukit Tongkat in Kluang today.

On the programme, the Sembrong incumbent said the government had always been consistent in responding to the plight of the settlers, especially when it comes to Felda land ownership.

“In Sembrong, 96.5% of the grants have already been handed over, this took years, which means we have been consistent in helping Felda settlers – even when we were not the government.”

Meanwhile, Felda Bukit Tongkat chief Mohd Noor Sarugi said with the handover of the grants, all the settlers received land ownership rights of 4.04ha each, in addition to a house site.

He said the settlers had waited for this for the past 35 years, adding that although some of the recipients are from the second and third generation, they are grateful for their parents’ hard work. – Bernama, October 16, 2022.