KUALA LUMPUR:The government today agreed to set up an Emergency Management Technical Committee to ensure the smooth management of the emergency nationwide, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said the committee would be jointly chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali.

Muhyiddin said the formation of the committee was decided at the National Security Council (MKN) emergency session, which he chaired today via video conferencing with all Menteri Besar and Chief Ministers.

“The technical committee will, among others, be responsible for monitoring issues related to the implementation and management of emergency.

“Its functions also include reviewing and examining any emerging issues related to emergency and recommending solutions,” he said in his Facebook posting today.

Muhyiddin stressed that the committee also had the role of coordinating emergency management with relevant parties at Federal and state levels apart from heading the monitoring and inspection of the enforcement of emergency law at all levels.

The Prime Minister said the eight-member committee included the director-general of Public Service Department, secretary-general of the Treasury, Attorney-General, Chief of Defence Forces, Inspector-General of Police, Health director-general and MKN director-general.

“InsyaAllah, I hope the committee will receive the cooperation and support at all levels to ensure the management of the nationwide emergency can be carried out effectively,” he said.

The video conference was held at Bangunan Perdana Putra in Putrajaya, with everyone placed in several rooms on different floors.

The emergency session, the first to be held since the Proclamation of Emergency by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, was to discuss the direction of emergency management at the Federal and state levels.

On Jan 12, Al-Sultan Abdullah proclaimed an emergency that will be enforced until Aug 1, or earlier if the COVID-19 pandemic is contained and brought under control in the country.

-- BERNAMA