Police instructed to be vigilant against floods - home minister

GE15 | Caretaker Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said the police have been instructed to be vigilant against floods during this 15th general election, other than concentrating on riots among the party supporters during the GE15.

He said the safety of the people is important and as a preparation, a total of 80,000 policemen have been instructed to be on standby for flash floods due to the north-east monsoon that is expected to strike the nation during this general election.

“It is raining and flooding in most of the areas in the country. That is why the Perikatan Nasional (PN) ministers requested the GE15 to be held later and not now.

"It is raining here now, but it is worse in my constituency in Larut, Perak, and we have to seek the help of Rela and the Armed Forces if the situation gets worse.

Hamzah said he has informed the inspector-general of police to be prepared for any eventualities during the election, including riots and floods, with the safety of the people in mind, rather than political leaders.

He said this to members of the media after a walkabout in Taman Senangan in Teluk Air Tawar, near Butterworth in mainland Penang, yesterday.

Also present was the PN parliamentary seat candidate Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who will be contesting in Tasek Gelugor in Seberang Perai North.  

Hamzah said some analysts do not have an impartial view, but who have been biased towards certain political alignments.

"A thorough research on our manifesto will show the comprehensive planning which went into the manifesto, especially on the revival of the economy," Hamzah said when commenting on reports of analysts who claimed that the PN’s manifesto was shallow.

Hamzah, who is also the PN secretary-general, said a victory for Perikatan's Wan Saiful in Tasek Gelugor will be a win for the party, which will be a precursor for the coalition to win in other states.

He said Tasek Gelugor is one of the seats that the party has planned to win as it is currently held by Bersatu. Winning would give the PN the majority to form the next government.

“It is our hope that we will win Tasek Gelugor and this will also help the PN to ensure the country’s next prime minister candidate provides good governance,” Hamzah added.

The party currently holds the Tasek Gelugor and Nibong Tebal parliamentary seats in Penang, which are held by incumbents Shabudin Yahaya in Tasek Gelugor, who is retiring from active politics, and Mansor Othman, the two-term MP who is seeking re-election in a four-cornered fight.

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