SNAPSHOT | Residents win suit against govt over 2021 floods; MOE to expand CCTV coverage in boarding schools

KINI SNAPSHOT | What’s going on in the news today.

2pm

Court

• Fifty Taman Sri Muda residents have won a negligence lawsuit against the federal government, the Selangor Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) and Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) over the 2021 floods, which killed 12 people.
  
  Free Malaysia Today reported that Shah Alam High Court judicial commissioner Shoba Rajah ruled that the residents had proved their case on a balance of probabilities, finding that the authorities owed them a duty of care in carrying out their disaster management and operational responsibilities.
  
  The court rejected the government’s argument that the floods were an “act of God”, saying the defence could not apply where reasonable human intervention was possible.
  
  It also found that the authorities’ failure to respond adequately amounted to negligence.
  
  The federal government, JPS and MBSA were held jointly liable. The court will hold case management on Oct 6 to set a date for the assessment of damages.

READ MORE: Taman Sri Muda: Challenges of surviving, recovering from floods

School safety

• The Education Ministry will expand CCTV coverage to 333 boarding schools this year, allocating an additional RM5 million to strengthen student safety and tackle bullying.
  
  Bernama reported Minister Fadhlina Sidek (below) as saying that the ministry has also deployed 300 MyStep warden assistants since April to help monitor students in hostels, particularly at night.

  

  
  She added that the ministry has also strengthened its bullying reporting system by introducing an anonymous complaints mechanism through its complaint portal.
  
  In addition, Fadhlina said character education will also be introduced under the 2027 school curriculum, with a focus on values including integrity and empathy.
  
  The ministry, she added, is also working with the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department to draft the Anti-Bullying Act 2026, which would include provisions for an anti-bullying tribunal for victims seeking redress.

READ MORE: Fadhlina: Many of Asyraf’s 'radical' anti-bullying proposals already in place

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