Wangsa Maju MP flags lack of post-disaster recovery allocation in Budget 2027

PARLIAMENT | Zahir Hassan (Harapan-Wangsa Maju) has raised concerns over the lack of a dedicated allocation for post-disaster recovery in the proposed Budget 2027.

The PKR lawmaker cited recent earthquakes and Tropical Storm Senyar as warnings that Malaysia must prepare for increasingly unpredictable disasters, particularly with a Super El Niño phenomenon forecast to develop.

During his debate...

PARLIAMENT | Zahir Hassan (Harapan-Wangsa Maju) has raised concerns over the lack of a dedicated allocation for post-disaster recovery in the proposed Budget 2027.

The PKR lawmaker cited recent earthquakes and Tropical Storm Senyar as warnings that Malaysia must prepare for increasingly unpredictable disasters, particularly with a Super El Niño phenomenon forecast to develop.

During his debate on the Supply (Budget) Bill 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat this evening, Zahir estimated that RM4.92 billion, or about 1.07 percent of the RM461.8 billion national budget, had been allocated for disaster-related spending.

Of this estimated amount, he said 56.7 percent was for mitigation measures, 37.5 percent for disaster response, and only 5.7 percent for preparedness.

“More disconcertingly, there is no specific entry for post-disaster recovery.

“Does this mean that the costs of rebuilding homes, community facilities, and infrastructure following a disaster have not been planned for and will continue to be covered on an ad hoc basis?” he asked, seeking an explanation from the relevant minister.

However, according to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s speech text when tabling Budget 2027 earlier this month, the government increased assistance for repairing disaster victims’ homes from RM5,000 to RM10,000.

Zahir is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Disaster Risk Management. He is also among the PKR MPs linked to Bersama led by Rafizi Ramli. However, Zahir denied that he would be leaving the party, despite acknowledging his close relationship with the former PKR deputy president.

'Not enough'

The Wangsa Maju MP also acknowledged increases in several disaster-related allocations, including flood mitigation, urban drainage, fire and rescue development, and the National Geohazard Study, but opined that the overall budget remained inadequate.

To support his claim, he highlighted reductions in several disaster-related allocations, including funding for high-priority flood mitigation projects, which fell 23 percent to RM1.03 billion, despite the government describing them as “the most urgent”.

Allocations for weather radar were reduced from RM64 million to RM50.8 million, while the target for monsoon flood warnings was lowered from 70 percent to 67 percent.

Funding for flood control and warning systems also declined from RM24.6 million to RM23.2 million.

Zahir also pointed out that development funding for the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) fell by more than 22 percent to RM16.4 million.

However, the figure he cited should be distinguished from Nadma’s overall RM260 million allocation under Budget 2027.

Meanwhile, Zahir also questioned the lack of direct support for communities in disasters.

“The only allocation that actually reaches communities is the disaster volunteer advocacy programme: a one-off sum of RM525,000, with no community training programme and no village-level preparedness plan,” he added.

Zahir also said it was a challenge to identify the government’s disaster-related spending, as he had to piece together 36 separate allocations scattered across seven ministries and 11 agencies.

“If disaster-related expenditure cannot even be identified, how then can its effectiveness be measured?” he questioned.