KUALA LUMPUR: The government will revisit the plan to bring in flood experts from the Netherlands, following the change in government there, the Dewan Rakyat heard today.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he would call on the new Dutch Prime Minister to reconfirm the earlier commitment of dispatching the country's experts to aid Malaysia in its flood mitigation initiatives.
"The Netherlands has the experience (dealing with floods) due to (most of its) land being at or below sea level, and has one of the best flood mitigation strategies in the world.
"(Current caretaker) Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte during his recent visit had agreed to provide a technical team to come here and share their expertise.
"However, there was a change in government there, and the winning party is far-right extreme and is very anti-Islam and anti-Minority, so I don't know if the plan will continue."
Anwar said although the current situation was less encouraging, he assured that he would reach out to the new prime minister to ascertain their continued commitment in advancing collaborative efforts between both nations.
Earlier, Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah (Barisan Nasional-Paya Besar) had asked the Prime Minister if the government had any plans to bring in experts from other countries such as the Netherlands to help mitigate the effects of climate change, including floods.