In ongoing spat with Umno, Guan Eng asks Zahid not to milk pre-dawn SOS call from 2017 Penang floods

In ongoing spat with Umno, Guan Eng asks Zahid not to milk pre-dawn SOS call from 2017 Penang floods



Volunteers wade through flood waters to guide boats ferrying flood victims in Penang November 5, 2017. — Picture by Sayuti Zainuddin

Thursday, 07 Nov 2024 3:40 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — Former chief minister Lim Guan Eng today urged Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to not exploit the tragic floods in Penang in 2017 when seven people died.

Lim’s remarks today are part of an over two-week-old row over his remarks on October 22 at the Dewan Rakyat, where the DAP national chairman appeared to suggest that federal ministers from Umno may have given less assistance to Penang and his Bagan constituency compared to others in the Cabinet.


Last Monday, Zahid, who is also Umno president, reportedly pointed out that he once went to Lim’s aid after receiving a 3.38am phone call from the latter, and told the latter not to make such accusations.

“The deputy prime minister should not try to exploit a tragedy and completely distort a desperate phone call for help over a major flood and tragedy that caused the loss of 7 lives,” the Bagan MP said in a statement today on his official Facebook page, after recounting events then.


Today, Lim said Penang experienced its worst floods in history on November 4, 2017, with a 14-hour storm beginning at 8pm with a record rainfall of 315mm.


In the flooding that displaced over 6,000 people and caused seven deaths, Lim said he was helping out as chief minister in flood relief operations the whole night until the next morning, and that all local services including police and fire services and local authorities managing the flood relief were completely overwhelmed.

“At 3.30 am, I realised that we desperately needed help as people were just drowning and dying,” Lim said, adding that only the army had the capacity in assets to make a difference to the flood relief efforts but the army based in Penang told him they needed the federal government’s approval to act.

“At 3.30 am it was impossible to contact any top federal government officials. In desperation, I contacted then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“I appreciate his willingness and sense of responsibility to take my call at 3.38 am in the morning and fulfil my request to get the soldiers out to save lives and property. I regret that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has forgotten his kindness then and instead is using that tragic flood as a political weapon against me,” Lim said.

In his Facebook post, Lim had attached a screenshot of a Malaysiakini news report featuring Umno’s Tampin MP Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa, where the latter had on Tuesday commented on Lim’s remarks about Umno’s ministers and reminded the DAP politician of Zahid’s previous aid after his 3.38am phone call.

Lim said he found it “irrational” for Zahid and Mohd Isam to allegedly turn against him seven years after the Penang floods purportedly over what he described as a “false report” in news portal FreeMalaysiaToday (FMT), adding that FMT had publicly expressed regret and made the necessary corrections to its reporting.

“Weaponising a natural disaster as a political weapon, especially against a leader of a senior coalition party of the unity government based on a false report, does not lend confidence to Umno’s commitment towards solidarity and unity within the unity government,” Lim concluded.

Both Umno and DAP are part of the unity government in Putrajaya, and Zahid and Lim are both heading these two parties respectively.

Based on Malay Mail’s checks of the Dewan Rakyat’s Hansard on October 22, Lim had towards the end of his debate on the Budget 2025 thanked ministers from the federal government for helping Penang as well as his parliamentary constituency Bagan and appeared to suggest that ministers from Umno may have provided relatively less help with the phrase “mungkin kecuali Umno kurang sikit”.

Among other things, Lim was also recorded as laughing before expressing hope for more help to be given in the future, and saying that those in the unity government help each other and that there is no discrimination towards opposition-ruled states as they sometimes receive more benefits than states under the unity government.

On October 28, Zahid was reported saying Lim as Penang chief minister had once called him at 3.38am, and he had left Sarawak to go to Penang then to help him, and urged him not to make such accusations.

On October 29, FMT published a statement referring to three of its news reports (on October 24, 25, 28), saying it had made an error when reporting on Lim’s speech as including references to floods.

FMT clarified that the Hansard showed Lim had not mentioned floods when remarking “mungkin kecuali Umno kurang sikit”, expressing regret over the misunderstanding that arose and said it would ensure it does not repeat the error.

Also on October 29, Lim urged Zahid not to be misled and make criticisms based on the alleged misreporting by FMT, clarifying that the Hansard would show he did not mention flood victims during the speech.

Malay Mail’s checks of the Dewan Rakyat’s November 5 Hansard showed Umno’s Tampin MP as having commented on Lim’s remarks about Umno ministers, and also referred to Zahid having answered the Bagan MP’s call for help at 3.38am.