ALOR STAR: The Finance Ministry (MoF) will channel allocation to the Education Ministry to speed up repair works in schools ravaged by the recent floods.
Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the initiative was aimed at assisting the schools to be back in operation as soon as possible.
"Today, we visited schools affected by the floods to get feedback on what we can do to assist.
"We (the MoF) will work together with the Education Ministry to channel some allocation to repair the schools so that they can be back in operation much quicker," he told reporters after joining 120 volunteers from the MoF in clean-up work at SK Lengkuas in Kepala Batas today.
During his work visit to Kedah today, Amir also inspected flood recovery efforts at Sultan Abdul Halim Airport and visited flood victims housed at the temporary flood relief centres (PPS) in SK Gunung and SK Sri Gunung.
Amir said the MoF had deployed 120 members of the Ihsan Madani Squad to Alor Star for post-flood relief efforts in Kedah.
The squad, comprising personnel from the MoF, the Inland Revenue Board, CIMB Bank and the GLC Demi Rakyat dan Negara initiative, carried out cleaning operations at SK Lengkuas, SK Suka Menanti, SK Seri Amar Diraja and Klinik Desa Sungai Baru.
Amir said the programme reflected the MoF's solidarity with communities impacted by disasters.
It also aims to foster a spirit of cooperation between government agencies, private companies and government-linked companies (GLCs) in rolling up their sleeves to help flood victims.
"The programme's goal is to ensure aid reaches those in need without delay. The government is consistently striving to ensure that those affected by disasters like floods receive immediate assistance without excessive bureaucracy, enabling them to return to their daily lives as soon as possible.
"Additionally, we aim to strengthen the spirit of unity as a caring and supportive nation, exemplifying the saying 'a burden shared is a burden halved'."
During the visit today, the MoF contributed new carpets for Masjid Suka Menanti and Masjid Kariah Derang.
The ministry also distributed 1,300 food aid packages to flood evacuees at PPS SK Gunung and PPS SK Sri Gunung.
Other assistance included personal hygiene kits, mattresses, mats, replacement equipment for mosques, water jets, waterproof boots, gloves and face masks to support ongoing cleaning efforts.