KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that ongoing flood mitigation projects, including those on the east coast, are on schedule, despite being initially cancelled in 2022 for re-tendering.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister said that the decision was made after the Madani government took over, rejecting direct negotiations which were deemed to be based on "weak foundations."
"To date, the projects are still on schedule, except for one in Terengganu, if I'm not mistaken. It has not been disrupted," he said.
"We have records that through the tender process, we saved a significant amount of funds compared to what was originally allocated."
Torrential rain caused by the annual northeast monsoon has led to severe flooding in several states, including Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis.
Anwar said that while technical and financial evaluations by the Finance Ministry must be adhered to, he assured that the process would not cause delays in the completion of the flood mitigation projects.
Anwar was responding to a supplementary question from Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muda-Muar) regarding whether there was any evidence of misconduct in the tender process for the previously cancelled flood mitigation project.
Meanwhile, Anwar said the government has spent close to RM15 billion for flood mitigation projects throughout the country, including in Sabah in Sarawak.
There is no country that can guarantee flooding won't occur; even advanced nations like China, the US, and Europe can't fully control it, but our efforts must remain strong, he said.
Anwar said Malaysia has spent nearly RM15 billion on flood mitigation projects, adding that "it's still not enough."
Additional measures, he said, include advanced monitoring systems for flood alerts and more effective mitigation projects.
"One suggestion from the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) study is to build higher embankments along the entire coastal area, which will, of course, take time."
The JICA project is a flood mitigation initiative for the country's west coast, designed to address flooding issues based on their study.