Flood aid: What about Sabah and Sarawak, Petronas?

Petronas will channel RM5 million to 21,000 families affected by the East Coast floods, in phases from now until the end of February, its Strategic Communications Division Head, Norliza Kamaruddin, said today.

“This is part of our corporate social responsibility to the flood victims in the states where we operate – Terengganu, Pahang and Kelantan,” she said during the first phase of the aid-presentation ceremony in Kampung Pasir Gajah near here.

“It will be distributed to about 15,000 families in Kemaman and another 6,000 families in Kuantan, Pahang and Pasir Mas, Kelantan,” she said.

Norliza also presented a mock cheque for RM3.4 million to Terengganu Menteri Besar, Ahmad Said, for the flood victims in Kemaman.

Each family would receive a comforter set and Petronas Kedai Mesra voucher worth RM150 for the purchase of daily needs and petrol, she said.

Norliza said all those who had registered at the flood relief centres in their respective districts were eligible for the assistance.

“Petronas is also working with the Social Welfare Department and relevant district offices to ensure the aid is distributed in an orderly and efficient manner,” she said.

Petronas had earlier sent its staff who volunteered to help the victims and donated basic necessities at the flood relief centres in Kemaman during the first wave of floods, she said.

“We also sent 150 staff who volunteered to help at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Pasir Gajah which was severely hit by the floods,” she said.

Ironically neither Petronas nor the federal authorities have moved to assist flood victims in Sabah and Sarawak.

Last month Sabah Star chairman Jeffrey Kitingan charged that giving flood aid to affected states in Peninsula Malaya and not Sabah and Sarawak was just another form of unfair treatment of Sabahans and Sarawakians following the unequal hike in electricity tariff.

Kitingan was responding to the federal goverment announcement of RM500 aid for each family affected by the floods in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.