KUALA LUMPUR – A deputy minister from PAS has urged the government to call off any plans to hold the general election in the midst of the monsoon season, considering several states face potential flooding.
Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, who is also the deputy Women, Family and Community Development minister, said the government should instead pay full attention to assisting flood victims.
She was quoted as saying by Harakah Daily that holding an election during the flood season would result in various repercussions and limitations.
“As such, I hope the government will consider the situation and difficulties that the rakyat will face before deciding on a date,” she said yesterday after an event in Pasir Mas, Kelantan.
However, the Rantau Panjang MP is confident that the government will make the necessary preparations if it does decide to conduct the polls during the monsoon period.
“We believe in the wisdom of the government, which will certainly take into account the concerns of the rakyat.”
Her comments follow Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s remark on Saturday that Barisan Nasional is ready to brave the floods to campaign if the general election is held during the monsoon season.
According to Zailah, her ministry is consistently prepared to face any possibility of an election.
She was reported as saying that the Social Welfare Department has also made the necessary preparations to face this year’s floods.
“We are providing 6,010 temporary relief centres nationwide, including 446 in Kelantan. We have also maximised the capacity of our disaster supplies in eight disaster supplies storage depots, and 193 state and district disaster stores.
“Separately, we have mobilised 5,067 of our officers, 195 psychology officers or counsellors, and 7,260 registered volunteers nationwide.” – The Vibes, September 19, 2022
