Johor floods 2 - Quiet resentment

Source: http://gallery.thestar.com.my

Mother nature was and is still tough on us in Johor. I don't think many in KL can fully understand and emphatise with the emotional and financial grief of our Johor brothers. Having been a frequent victim of flash floods myself back in my Klang days, none of those experiences prepared me for the photos and reports that I received these few days. (I am in the midst of compiling our operational losses in Johor).

But I do have a good idea of how bad it is. It was in 1991 and Kluang was flooded. We were doing compass marching and it never stopped raining since Day 1 at 0600H. We thought that the rain will pass but when it became a torrential downpour at 1500H, we knew that it was going to be a long long march. By then, most of us had already taken off our poncho because we were already soaked to our skin. Streams became rivers and very fast flowing - crossing them would be suicide even without the pack and M16. Drains were unseen, rats swimming in the water and we made so many detours that the prospect of being lost was high. To cut it short, we only came out from the jungle 48 hours later from what was supposed to be an 8 hour exercise. Most syndicates only came out after 72 hours. Thank God none from the Company were hurt.

Back to the Johor floods, quiet resentment is on the rise. I can't say about the Johoreans because I am not there, but I am talking about resentment from KLites with families or friends suffering in Johor. Some commoner coffeetalk as follows:

• PM minum teh tarik nasi kandar kat Perth. Kami boleh hantar ni natural teh tarik cap banjir Johor!
• Mungkin banjir ni tak cukup disaster kot. Takde tsunami. Takde CNN.
  
• Tasik Titiwangsa lebih penting daripada venice Johor, enuff said.
  

Looks like our PM and Gahmen can do no right in the eyes of some commoners. One coffeetalk that ringed in my ears:

• Aiyah, you ni jangan terikut-ikut itu movie Deep Impact. In reality, the people are only important during general elections!

Ouch.

In closing, I read this from the NST online today, “If the Government does not help its people, who will? If we have to spend more, we just have to,” he said. True and rightly said but a voice told me that in some instances, it is not the money. It's the presence. It's the human spirit. Leaders and aides need to learn from Winston Churchill and I don't mean chomping on a smoking Churchill.


Source

Buaya69 says... "Donate to the Johor flood victims. Have a heart."

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NSTP Flood Victims Assistance Fund

The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd has set up a fund to help flood victims.

Donations via cheque, bank draft or postal order made out to The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd can be sent to: The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, c/o Finance Department, 5th Floor, Balai Berita, 31, Jalan Riong, 59100 Kuala Lumpur (Attention: Aidah Nordin).

Kindly write on the back of the cheque donor’s name, address and contact number.

Donations to the fund can also be made at NSTP branches in Johor Baru, Klang, Alor Star, Batu Pahat, Ipoh, Kota Baru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, Kuching, Malacca, Muar, Penang and Seremban, or its regional printing plants in Shah Alam, Prai, Senai and Ajil.

All donations collected will be channelled to the National Disaster Relief Fund. Donations are tax exempt.