Decoding Malaysia's disaster management: What exactly is Nadma's role and who is really in charge?

• Published date: 29 December 2021
• Publication title: Malay Mail Online

The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) was criticised early on in the recent massive floods just days before Christmas which hit several states badly, especially Selangor for its perceived slowness in leading rescue and relief efforts.

Additionally, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the responsibility of managing flood disaster was not that of the federal government alone, as the state governments and relevant authorities at the districts also play an important role.

So, who is really in charge when disaster strikes in Malaysia and who holds the responsibility for the criticised relief response for the recent floods?

Here's a quick overview of the current system for disaster management in Malaysia:

First of all, what is Nadma?

According to Nadma's annual report in 2018, it was formed as an agency dedicated to managing disasters, in view of the need for improvements following the December 2014 floods that struck Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor which claimed 25 lives and caused 541,896 persons to be evacuated and with estimated losses of RM2.9 billion.

The Cabinet had on July 29, 2015 decided to have the crisis and disaster management function taken out from the National Security Council (NSC) under the Prime Minister's Department, and on August 26, 2015 agreed to form Nadma to take over the responsibilities previously held by the NSC's disaster management division.

Nadma, which is also under the Prime Minister's Department, was officially formed on October 1, 2015.

So what is the structure for disaster management in Malaysia?

In a move to shift from merely reacting to disasters whenever they occur in Malaysia, the Cabinet had on May 18, 1994 decided to establish a disaster management mechanism under the NSC, following the collapse of a Highland Towers condominium block in Selangor in December 1993 where 48 persons died.

The NSC which is also under the Prime Minister's Department on May 11, 1997 issued a directive on disaster management and relief (commonly referred to as NSC Directive No. 20), with then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad signing off on it.

NSC Directive No. 20 has only been officially updated once, when then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on March 30, 2012 signed off on a revised version. The 2012 edition cancels and replaces the 1997 edition.

Unfortunately, this 50-page document is not easily accessible from official government websites, with Malay Mail obtaining the 2012 edition from a disaster management expert from a local university and also later spotting the same edition being hosted on Universiti Malaysia Pahang's website.

The 2012 edition of the NSC Directive No. 20 states that it contains a more comprehensive disaster management mechanism covering before, during and after a disaster, while also stating that this directive could prevent wastage, confusion, conflict or overlap in roles in handling disasters as well as being a guide to help all agencies manage disasters more efficiently and effectively.

Disaster management on three different levels: district, state, federal

Under NSC Directive No. 20, disasters are to be managed by disaster management committees at three different levels namely the federal-level central disaster management committee (JPBP), state level (JPBN), and district level (JPBD).

Under the 2012 directive, the central-level committee would be chaired by a minister appointed by the prime minister with at least 37 members from different agencies as well as state secretaries and with the NSC's disaster management division's secretary to be the committee secretary.

The state-level committee would be chaired by the state secretary and have 24 members and with the NSC's state-level's state security secretary as the committee's secretary, while the district-level committee would be chaired by a district officer with 22 members and the NSC's district-level state security secretary as the committee's secretary.

In other words...