MIC: Flood proves PAS 'useless', chance for BN 
MalaysiaKini.com
Jan 3, 2015   

According to MIC, the flood disaster in Kelantan is a good opportunity for BN to regain its power base there, as the PAS government has proven to be "useless" in the face of crisis.

"Any calamity this size is also an opportunity - for the ruling PAS government in Kelantan, and for their opponent, BN, who wants to get back the state which they lost in 1990.

"A flood this size is a game changer - it shows one state power (i.e. PAS in Kelantan) as useless and mouthing the same old formula that brought them to power, unable to provide new solutions to mitigate the flood disaster.

"It also gives an opportunity for the BN government to provide imaginative relief to win hearts and minds, which can potentially translate into support for the coalition," said MIC Youth chief C Sivarraajh in a statement today.

The east coast states face annual floods during the year-end northeast monsoon season, but this year's flood has been described as the worst in recent history.

On another note, Sivarraajh suggested that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his government go down to the ground and assist people, instead of simply handing out cash aid.

This, he believed, will win over the support of the Kelantanese for the ruling coalition in the next elections.

'People need immediate assistance'

“Najib has promised RM500 million as aid, but people need immediate assistance to get back on their feet. The people have suffered a major disaster.

“BN volunteers have to hit the ground in a big way and help the people to get over the disaster and rebuild their shattered lives.

“These, and other humanitarian gestures, are what counts to win the hearts and minds of disaster victims, it can also erase any negative feelings they have about the ruling coalition,” Sivarraajh added.

It is noted that Najib and his administration have recently come under fire from various parties for their ineffectiveness in dealing with the floods, particularly that in the east coast.

For example, Najib received much flak from the opposition for being on a family vacation in Hawaii, instead of attending to the plight of some 200,000 people who had been displaced by the floods.

The premier even managed to sneak in a game of golf with US president Barack Obama. However, after much criticism, Najib later rushed back on Dec 26, 2014 to oversee the situation in the east coast.

PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli also slammed Najib's administration for being poorly prepared in handling the disaster, which include not having proper procedures to deal with the annual floods.

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