Sabah Flood Relief: GLC Coalition Mobilises RM1.5mn, Distributes Essentials to Affected Communities

Cash aid, food packs, hygiene kits and cleaning supplies deployed — banking members also offer loan moratoria and disaster financing for struggling MSMEs

In response to the recent floods in Sabah, members of the GLC Demi Rakyat & Negara (GDRN) coalition have mobilised close to RM1.5 million worth of aid and cash assistance to date and offered financial relief programs to aid affected communities.

The GDRN, a philanthropic network of Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) and Government-linked Investment Companies (GLICs) has complemented the government efforts in major disasters since 2013. Their involvement in the Sabah flood crisis is a continuation of its longstanding commitment to the well-being of the Malaysian people. "As we mark Malaysia Day recently, it is a sobering reminder that our unity is tested not just in celebration, but in how we care for one another in times of hardship. The floods in Sabah have upended lives overnight — families are left with damaged homes, children without school supplies, and elderly folks cut off from basic necessities. In this moment, it is our collective duty as Malaysians to respond with empathy and to restore dignity to those affected," said Puan Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki, Trustee & Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah, a foundation of Khazanah Nasional, and co-chair of the GDRN Secretariat.

In Sabah, heavy and persistent rainfall starting from 9 September triggered major flooding and landslides across multiple districts, including Penampang, Membakut, Putatan, Beaufort, Papar, and Sipitang. The disasters have displaced over 3,000 evacuees from more than 960 families, with at least 12 confirmed deaths and one person reported missing. Roads, homes, and temporary relief centres have been damaged or destroyed; dozens of villages are being isolated, and power outages have been reported, particularly after a landslide destroyed a transmission tower in Penampang. 

Since the disaster struck, 12 GDRN members have reported a variety of assistance in Sabah, leveraging their local operations, NGO partnerships, and working relationship with government agencies like the Ministry of Finance, National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and Social Welfare Department (JKM).

Members like CIMB Foundation, Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) [KWAP], Maybank, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Pharmaniaga, Yayasan Hasanah, Yayasan PETRONAS (YP), Yayasan Sime Darby, and Yayasan TM have pledged or distributed essential goods, including hygiene kits, food packs, and cleaning supplies. "In times of crisis, no single form of aid is enough on its own. Families may need immediate relief today, but also financial breathing space to rebuild tomorrow. The GDRN’s strength lies in uniting these responses — and we will always stand in solidarity with the government and local agencies to uplift communities affected by disasters," said Puan Ainol Shaharina Sahar, the Director of Yayasan TM and co-chair of the GDRN Secretariat. In this spirit, YP has pledged cashless assistance to the victims, and Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) and its Group of Companies have contributed to the Tabung Kecemasan Bencana Alam ATM for Armed Forces communities affected by the floods and landslide across Sabah. Meanwhile, banking institutions such as Bank Islam, CIMB, and Maybank have rolled out financial relief measures—including moratoria on loan payments and disaster-relief financing options for MSMEs.

GLC Demi Rakyat & Negara (GDRN)

Founded in 2013, GDRN, formerly known as “GLC Disaster Response Network”, originally served to coordinate and streamline humanitarian response aid by government-linked companies (GLCs) and government-linked investment companies (GLICs) for communities affected by natural disasters, especially during major flood crises across the country. The GDRN network aims to streamline its social impact efforts, thus ensuring aid could be deployed to more people, in a more effective manner. GDRN was founded through the Putrajaya Committee for GLC High Performance (“PCG”) alongside Khazanah Nasional (“Khazanah”) as Co-Secretariats. Since 2014, Yayasan TM, an entity of PCG and Yayasan Hasanah, the impact-based foundation of Khazanah, have served as the Co-Secretariats of GDRN. Today, the role of GDRN has expanded into three main cores, Education (Jalinan Ilmu), Wellbeing (Jalinan Sejahtera) and Humanitarian Aid (Jalinan Kemanusiaan); with the membership of various GLCs and GLICs within the country. For more information, visit gdrnbantu.online