Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim criticised the government on Thursday for delays in handing out aid to victims of the tsunamis which killed 66 people in Malaysia.

"Give out compensation quickly. This is taking far too long, the government must be proactive," Anwar told AFP after visiting villages in northern Penang state, which recorded the highest number of deaths.

The former finance minister who was heir-apparent to then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad before being jailed for six years for allegedly abusing his power, said priority must given to resettling people who lost their homes.

Anwar, who was freed in September and is prohibited from holding political office for five years, said the victims he visited complained that they had not received the financial aid promised by the government.

Anwar's wife, opposition lawmaker Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who heads the parti Keadilan Rakyat, said some victims in a fishing village in Balik Pulau complained that they were given rice packets but had no utensils to cook food.

"My feeling is we are not acting fast enough. Our country escaped a direct hit. Our country is rich but there can be better coordination to relieve the pain and suffering," she said.

The Indonesian island of Sumatra, which bore the brunt of the Sunday's tidal waves sparked by a massive earthquake off its west coast, protected most of Malaysia's beaches from the full force of the tsunamis.