Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said this would allow large corporations to witness firsthand the struggles of people on the ground.

“I urge successful private sector companies to focus their attention (on helping flood victims), whether by providing funds or mobilising their resources.

“It would be beneficial in the current situation for companies not only to contribute funds, but also to deploy their teams. Let companies from Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Penang, and beyond also go to the ground.

“See the issues people are facing: their poverty, their hardships (and how they face it all) with patience,” he said during a staff assembly at the Prime Minister’s Department.

Anwar also praised the readiness of the response teams, including government agencies, security forces, NGOs, and individuals, which had come together to assist flood victims, particularly in the east coast.

“Our response efforts have been extraordinary this time,” he added.

He said that during a visit to flood-affected areas in Terengganu yesterday, he had met with representatives from an NGO from Penang on their way to deliver 10 containers of food to flood victims in Kelantan.

He said he also met a Chinese man from Penang who had no links to the NGO but who had volunteered to help.

“This is the strength of Malaysians… He wasn’t from any specific NGO, but he saw this as a shared problem,” he said.

As of 9am today, 136,560 people from 41,231 families had been relocated to 636 temporary evacuation centres across nine states affected by floods.