KUALA LUMPUR – Two Pakatan Harapan (PH) lawmakers have filed emergency motions to debate the latest bout of flash floods that inundated the Klang Valley yesterday.
The first was submitted by Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang-PH) to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun at 10.30pm last night, while Fahmi Fadzil (Lembah Pantai-PH) filed his around 10am today.
The motions were submitted under Standing Order 18(1) which provides that a private member of the house may ask leave to discuss a defined matter of urgent public importance.
Azhar said that since the motions were filed in less than the required 24 hours he would provide a formal reply either later today or tomorrow.
“I will give my reply later. But preliminarily, I will suggest that the matter be discussed. That's my comment for now,” he said today.
In stating his argument to allow for a debate earlier today, Fong had noted that the flash floods, which affected major parts of the Kuala Lumpur city centre, damaged many properties.
He said he had also contacted Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim last night to express his view, with the latter similarly suggesting that the matter be brought up in the Dewan Rakyat.
“Many cars, for example, were inundated. The value of BMW and Mercedes cars will drop considerably because of this. I ask that this matter of public importance be debated in the house,” Fong said.
Fahmi pointed out that many of those affected yesterday were also victims of the December flood last year that wreaked havoc across the country.
“In fact, some of them were crying when they told me that items like washing machines they purchased with government rebates were damaged by yesterday’s flood.”
The continuous downpour yesterday saw water rising in several locations in the Klang Valley, as Malaysians were haunted once again by the nightmare they faced last December.
Netizens shared images and videos of areas being inundated and cars submerged along the roads, forcing several roads to be temporarily closed and electricity supplies to several areas cut. – The Vibes, March 8, 2022
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