Amanah postpones convention due to floods

KUALA LUMPUR – Amanah has postponed its annual convention following floods that have hit Selangor and other states.

Its president Mohamad Sabu announced that the convention, which was due to start today, will be put off to prioritise the welfare of the people – especially those affected by the floods.

“As president of Amanah, I instruct all levels of the party wings, especially the Youth, Women (Awan), Arif, and Warda (young women) of affected areas and states to immediately dispatch aid and help victims in dire need of assistance, especially those in Selangor.

“We have decided to postpone the convention, which was supposed to start today, to prioritise the people’s well-being,” Mohamad said in a media statement which was posted online today.

The floods are a result of the continuous rainfall that began three days ago in Selangor, Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Negri Sembilan and Melaka.

They have driven over 14,000 flood victims to seek shelter at relief centres, with Pahang recording the highest number of evacuees, totalling 5,189 this morning.

The country has also seen landslides and stranded road users.

According to a statement from the Selangor Menteri Besar’s Office, there are 6,242 victims in 80 temporary evacuation centres located in Klang, Kuala Langat, Sepang, Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, and Hulu Langat as of 8am today.

In a press conference yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the government is prioritising saving lives and evacuating the trapped.

He assured that aid, rescue, and food will be provided to the victims affected by the floods.

“We cannot afford to wait. (Other types of aid) will be discussed later; what is important now is to rescue stranded victims first by moving them to safe ground. We will work out financial aid and other kinds of assistance later,” he told a press conference at the National Disaster Command Centre last night.

Additionally, he said that the National Disaster Management Agency, the Social Welfare Department and other agencies are working together to deliver food.

The Meteorological Department has issued a statement warning that several areas in the capital, Selangor, Perak and Pahang are expected to experience extreme continuous rainfall today. – The Vibes, December 19, 2021