KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — The baseline study on the proposed Disaster Risk Reduction Act, following the proposal for the National Disaster Management Bill, is expected to be completed within 12 months.

Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said that the findings and recommendations of the study, conducted by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), would be reviewed and coordinated with the relevant ministries and agencies before the proposed policy and legislation were finalised.

“At present, a specific timeline for the tabling of the National Disaster Management Bill in the Dewan Rakyat has yet to be determined.

“This is because the current process still involves reviewing the need for, and the appropriate form of, the legislative framework,” he said in a written reply published on the Parliament website last night. 

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, was responding to a question from Zahir Hassan (PH-Wangsa Maju), who wanted to know the latest developments in the drafting of the National Disaster Management Bill.

Ahmad Zahid said that the findings of the study would serve as an important basis for Nadma in determining the direction of efforts to strengthen the country’s disaster governance, particularly in terms of prevention, risk reduction and enhancing the resilience of communities and the nation.

“The government is taking an approach to ensure that the form and scope of the proposed legislation are truly suited to the country’s disaster management needs, rather than simply enacting a new law without first identifying the actual gaps in the existing framework.

“This approach is also in line with the country’s disaster management direction, which emphasises science-, data- and technology-based preparedness, early action, early warning systems, clear command structures, and rapid and coordinated responses,” he said. — Bernama