Reveal flood mitigation plans, Klang MP reiterates call to EC

Klang MP Charles Santiago has urged the Election Commission (EC) to make public its flood mitigation plans now that the Parliament has been dissolved.

According to the DAP lawmaker, this is to assure Malaysians, especially senior citizens, that all efforts have been made to ensure that voting takes place in a safe environment.

Charles said his office is sending a follow-up letter to the EC today, requesting the commission to divulge its flood mitigation plans, since his initial letter on the matter sent on Oct 3 went unanswered and unacknowledged.

"This is irresponsible and arrogant given that severe floods and the inability to mitigate the consequences, such as ensuring safe voting and transporting of ballot boxes, could change the outcome of the election.

"The commission's plans, therefore, need to be made public, given that Parliament has been dissolved, and the country will go to the polls in the next few weeks," the parliamentarian said in a statement today.

The voters have the right to know whether it would be safe to go out to vote on polling day, he added.

EC obligated to explain

Charles noted that 50 percent of voters in his constituency of Klang were affected by the December 2021 floods, and most schools and halls were set up as evacuation centres for flood victims.

"Most of the schools designated as polling centres were used last year as temporary evacuation centres.

"It’s therefore crucial the EC explains what would happen if the school had to be used as both an evacuation centre and a polling station," said Charles.

As such, would the EC ensure that the ballot boxes will remain safe and not tampered with if transport vehicles are abandoned due to floods, he asked.

"How does the EC plan to deal with the situation of moving 1,300 polling and counting agents in the event of a flood? Will the transparency of voting be affected due to this movement of personnel?

"The EC has an obligation to explain flood mitigation plans clearly to the rakyat. Unless of course, there is no such plan in the first place," said Charles.

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