Kg Matang Pasir residents in no mood to vote after yet another flood
The main road to Kampung Matang Pasir in Matang, Perak is badly potholed due to flooding, making it difficult for vehicles to get in and out of the village.
BUKIT GANTANG: “It is our fate,” said a rather philosophical Pak Aziz of last Saturday’s floods in Kampung Matang Pasir, the village in the Matang district in Perak where he has lived all his life.
Like clockwork, the floods come to the village every month, but the latest deluge was worse than what he has seen in decades.
“The water level was higher than usual … reaching up to the waist,” he told FMT. “It is usually only about knee-deep.”
Pak Aziz, 60, and his family are among the last 20 families who have chosen to remain in the village. In fact, his family accounts for the majority of the villagers.
BUKIT GANTANG: “It is our fate,” said a rather philosophical Pak Aziz of last Saturday’s floods in Kampung Matang Pasir, the village in the Matang district in Perak where he has lived all his life.
Like clockwork, the floods come to the village every month, but the latest deluge was worse than what he has seen in decades.
“The water level was higher than usual … reaching up to the waist,” he told FMT. “It is usually only about knee-deep.”
Pak Aziz, 60, and his family are among the last 20 families who have chosen to remain in the village. In fact, his family accounts for the majority of the villagers.
A group of volunteers from Bukit Gantang have been working hard to clean the homes affected by the floods.
They include his siblings, who are fishermen, as well as their respective families. Pak Aziz himself operates a restaurant at the banks of a tributary of Sungai Perak.
The water level in the river was still unusually high, and current strong, when FMT paid a visit three days after the floods.
The villagers were still busy cleaning up after the floods, a task that involved removing thick layers of mud off the wall and floor. Fortunately, a group of volunteers from Bukit Gantang was there to lend a hand.
The constant floods have also taken a toll on the local infrastructure. For instance, the main road is so peppered with potholes that driving into the village would require the dexterity and skills of off-roading on wheels.
But hardly anyone bats an eyelid now. The floods happen so often that the local elected representative has stopped paying any attention to the villagers’ plight.
The assumption is that the village has such a small population and its location so remote — an hour’s drive from Taiping, the nearest town — that it is not worth putting in the effort to make things right there.
Pak Aziz said that during the floods, each villager was given a mattress and some food while they were housed at the evacuation centre.
“That was it. Maybe it’s because we live in a rural area, so no one is surprised anymore,” he said with a shrug.
They include his siblings, who are fishermen, as well as their respective families. Pak Aziz himself operates a restaurant at the banks of a tributary of Sungai Perak.
The water level in the river was still unusually high, and current strong, when FMT paid a visit three days after the floods.
The villagers were still busy cleaning up after the floods, a task that involved removing thick layers of mud off the wall and floor. Fortunately, a group of volunteers from Bukit Gantang was there to lend a hand.
The constant floods have also taken a toll on the local infrastructure. For instance, the main road is so peppered with potholes that driving into the village would require the dexterity and skills of off-roading on wheels.
But hardly anyone bats an eyelid now. The floods happen so often that the local elected representative has stopped paying any attention to the villagers’ plight.
The assumption is that the village has such a small population and its location so remote — an hour’s drive from Taiping, the nearest town — that it is not worth putting in the effort to make things right there.
Pak Aziz said that during the floods, each villager was given a mattress and some food while they were housed at the evacuation centre.
“That was it. Maybe it’s because we live in a rural area, so no one is surprised anymore,” he said with a shrug.
The water level in a Sungai Perak tributary in Kampung Matang Pasir was high and had strong currents during a visit by FMT.
Another victim, Rozaida Osman, said the constant flooding had dampened their enthusiasm to vote in the general election.
“I was disappointed when I saw (my) house and the electrical appliances badly damaged. I can’t use my refrigerator or washing machine anymore,” she said.
“If it floods again, we won’t be in any mood to vote,” added the 38-year-old housewife.
Several villages in the Taiping and Batu Kurau districts were submerged from about 3pm on Friday, forcing the local authorities to open five flood evacuation centres. All centres were closed two days later when the floods fully subsided.
Another resident, Rosni Usman, 60, is pinning her hopes on their next elected representative to solve their problem.
“We have been hit by floods so many times, I can’t even tell how much we have already lost,” she said.
“I just hope that whoever is elected next will be able to do something for us,” she added.
Another victim, Rozaida Osman, said the constant flooding had dampened their enthusiasm to vote in the general election.
“I was disappointed when I saw (my) house and the electrical appliances badly damaged. I can’t use my refrigerator or washing machine anymore,” she said.
“If it floods again, we won’t be in any mood to vote,” added the 38-year-old housewife.
Several villages in the Taiping and Batu Kurau districts were submerged from about 3pm on Friday, forcing the local authorities to open five flood evacuation centres. All centres were closed two days later when the floods fully subsided.
Another resident, Rosni Usman, 60, is pinning her hopes on their next elected representative to solve their problem.
“We have been hit by floods so many times, I can’t even tell how much we have already lost,” she said.
“I just hope that whoever is elected next will be able to do something for us,” she added.
Who was the idiot who lambasted Harapan for bringing up concerns about Election campaign fever interfering with focus on aiding flood victims as Scaremongering ?
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