KOTA KINABALU: The Youth wings of the five Perikatan Nasional (PN) component parties (STAR, SAPP, Armada, PAS and Gerakan) joined forces to provide assistance to victims of natural disaster after recent torrential rains caused flooding and landslides to the West Coast of Sabah.
Jamain Sarudin, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Youth Chief, said their focus was on several districts and each Youth Wing such as Armada would lead aid in Penampang, Pas in Putatan & Beaufort, Star in Inanam and Gerakan in Kolombong while SAPP in the Kopungit landslide area.
“We have divided the focus areas for each party to coordinate the assistance needed by the people in the area,” said Jamain, who is also one of the Deputy Youth Chiefs of PN Malaysia.
According to him, PN Youth has provided initial assistance such as kitchen utensils for residents who have moved to safe areas in Kopungit, due to the risk for their houses located on the hillside.
“Eight families are now staying temporarily in the stall area, and yesterday we finished providing cooking utensils for kitchen use to enable them to cook on their own,” he added.
According to him, after hearing the grievances of the families, he instructed the SAPP Youth to immediately buy kitchen equipment and food baskets to be handed over yesterday evening. It is also to avoid inconveniences to these victims and for fear of Covid-19 infection if they went out to get their supplies.
A total of 37 families were affected by the landslide that occurred late last Friday afternoon. Several vehicles and motorcycles were also believed to be buried under the debris.
“We are also distributing food aid baskets to other areas and will provide donations and assistance as planned,” he said.
The west coast of Sabah experienced heavy rains over the past few days and several areas were afflicted by floods and landslides. Nearby, several wards of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital situated at the hillside were hit by landslip.
Meanwhile, Jamain asked residents of hillside areas to always keep vigilant during bad weather and prioritize safety themselves and their family members, observe the environment and evacuate immediately to avoid risk.
He also hoped that corporate bodies, GLCs and Government agencies could provide help and humanitarian assistance to residents whose homes were destroyed
Also present were Charles Gokin, Chairman of JPKK Kopungit who is also SAPP Youth Information Chief, Sabah Gerakan Youth Chief Edmund Ong Hwa Tung, Dexter Chin SAPP Vice Youth Chief, Youth Treasurer Clarence Oh and SAPP Youth Exco Clement Foo.-pr/BNN
