KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that there is no need to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the government’s management of one of Malaysia’s worst floods crisis in decades.

The Prime Minister however noted that there are several areas that can be improved such as raising the “competency” of agencies involved at the district, state and federal level, improve the early warning system and  strategically placing assets for search and rescue operations.

“The government thinks there is no need to form an RCI into the management of the recent floods but the standard operating procedure for floods need to be studied and updated so that we can better handle serious floods and when water level rise quickly,” he said in a reply to Pengerang MP Datuk Seri Azalina Othman in Parliament during question time.

As for medium- to long-term solutions, the Pekan MP said the government will launch projects for flood control, particularly initiatives that could also generate revenue such as constructing dams that can generate electricity.

He said state governments should also ensure only sustainable development projects are approved, especially those that involve mining, land clearing and logging.

Najib, who is also the Finance Minister, said the government will study ways to better equip evacuation centres such as building more shower cubicles in schools, moving electrical substations to higher grounds and identifying helicopter landing areas.

When asked why the government did not declare a state of emergency at the height of the floods that saw over a quarter million people displaced, Najib said he did not want the federal government to be seen as the only authority responsible for a disaster of such magnitude.

“The federal government does not want to be seen as the sole responsible one because part of the responsibility falls under the state governments.

“If we declare a state of emergency, there will be implications regarding insurance, among other things,” he said, pointing out that the federal government’s resources including the police force and the military were roped in to help flood victims.

The Umno president also said the government did not discriminate against any state during the crisis, pointing out that PAS-led Kelantan, which was the worst hit state, is included in Putrajaya’s consideration for flood control projects.

The National Security Council (NSC), which is the government agency in charge of disaster management, was heavily criticised for its slow response at the height of the floods.

The floods that struck the east coast of peninsular Malaysia at the end of December were the worst the country has seen in decades, displacing a quarter of a million people from their homes.