THE government is considering increasing the current RM100 a day hardship allowance of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) to a more reasonable amount as a gesture of appreciation for it. 

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the allowance, which is given to SMART personnel who take part in search and rescue (SAR) missions overseas, is still low. 

Saying the government appreciated the services and commitment of SMART personnel involved in various SAR missions, he said he had asked National Disaster Management Agency director-general Khairul Shahril Idrus to look into the matter. 

“It is reasonable if their allowance, which is called hardship allowance, can be increased according to their participation in SAR missions. 

“They are the best in their teams and have been chosen to join SMART,” he told the media today.  

The hardship allowance or special allowance was introduced on February 24 after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the granting of the allowance to SMART personnel involved in the SAR mission for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. 

The issue caught the attention of Anwar after he visited the SMART personnel camp in Turkey on February 15. 

Zahid, who is also the Central Disaster Management Committee chairman, suggested that SMART, which currently has 141 members from three agencies, namely the Royal Malaysia Police, Fire and Rescue Department, and Malaysian Armed Forces, be expanded to seven agencies. 

On February 8, 2023, SMART was certified as an Urban Search and Rescue team by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group under the auspices of the United Nations to participate in disaster missions abroad. 

Zahid also suggested that all agencies involved in disaster management apply the latest technology in line with the development of Industrial Revolution 4.0 to empower SAR operations. 

He said the use of such technology could help the agencies involved understand disaster risks and speed up decision-making while the sharing of disaster information could be channelled in real time. 

“In addition, our reliance on human resources, the latest technology like UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle or drone) must be utilised,” he said. – Bernama, October 17, 2023.