BERSIH has demanded the Election Commission (EC) and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) produce “a transparent and comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) on how to handle elections amid floods”.

It added the UndiBanjir SOP with an “inclusive decision-making process to build cross-party consensus when difficult decisions need to be made to save lives and preserve democracy”, should be made public.

The election watchdog said the political myth that UndiBanjir could definitely be avoided if election is held in early November has been debunked with the flash floods in Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Tuaran on October 9 and Pulau Langkawi on Sunday.

It added that the EC’s special meeting tomorrow to decide on nomination and polling days, must discuss the contingency plan “to prevent unintended vote suppression caused by floods”.

“The EC must ensure its representatives must sit on the national, state and district-level disaster management committees, (so) that decisions on saving lives and preserving democracy are coordinated to minimise the trade-off between the two,” it said in a statement today.

It said while it was regrettable that parliament had been dissolved amid the flood season against expert advice, the EC on the other hand “must not be pushed to complete the election at the risk of harming lives or suppressing votes”.

“The EC, Nadma and the disaster management committees must be prepared for situations like the flash flood in the Pulau Langkawi constituency (happening) on or just before the polling day,” it said.

Bersih said from news reports of the Langkawi flood, some 30 settlements in 14 of the 27 polling districts were under water.

That, Bersih said, had affected the mobility of 38,118 voters, or 57 % of Pulau Langkawi’s 66,808 electorate.

Apart from the voters, Bersih said of the 14 schools or halls that were used as polling centres in the 2018 general election there, one was flooded and one listed on the high alert flood-prone areas.

“Had the polling date been October 17 – the day after the floods - what measures would be taken?” Bersih asked.

It said the SOP must be clear on a number of questions – if there would be an extension to polling hours, will transport be provided to ferry voters by boats to the polling centres, if there will be mobile ballot boxes in flood relief centres for evacuated flood victims or will the election be postponed altogether to another date.

The SOP should make it clear what are the red lines that would escalate remedy if they are crossed, Bersih added.

More importantly, it asked who the people are involved in such decision-making.

It said any decision to delay polling, even just at a few affected constituencies, let alone the entire general election, would be greatly controversial as it would affect voters’ choices in postponed elections or result in a hanging power of balance.

“However, not doing so may result in preventable loss of lives or suppression of votes where flood victims are denied their right to determine the country’s and their state’s future.”

Bersih said any loss of life, property losses and a denial of voting rights would expose the EC and Nadma to negligence suits.

“Worse, this may sink the country into political instability.” – October 19, 2022.