THE Election Commission’s (EC) ignorance and silence on flood mitigation plans despite announcing the polling date is condemnable, said stakeholders.

They said that the lack of a mitigation and contingency plan would be disastrous when flood occurs.

This would also affect the fair conduct of the general election, they said.

“These are issues that are not resolved yet (like flood mitigation and contingency plans) but they (EC) have gone ahead to announce the date for elections.”

“I don’t think the EC has answers for that, otherwise they would have provided the SOPs and contingency plans by now as it affects the entire country,” said incumbent Klang MP Charles Santiago whose constituency has been affected by massive floods in the past year.

Santiago alleged that the EC was putting the entire country in jeopardy with their ignorance and silence on such a crucial matter. 

“They don’t have an answer but they are putting the country in jeopardy,” he said.

The EC has announced that polling for the GE would be on November 19, while nomination is on November 5 and early voting on November 15.   

The GE will involve all parliamentary seats throughout the country, with Perak, Pahang and Perlis holding their state elections simultaneously. The Bugaya state by-elections in Sabah will be held at the same time. 

The elections are set to take place during the monsoon season, which many critics have said would be the wrong time to expect people to come out to vote.

The Meteorological Department meanwhile has warned that Malaysia would experience the monsoon season in mid-November.

Taking the possibility of flood into consideration, Santiago questioned how the EC would determine the GE victors should certain states be unable to vote due to the natural disaster. 

“Based on previous experience, we might have a situation where some parts of Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kelantan might be flooded.”

“Secondly, if access roads to polling centres or roads leading to other states like Terengganu or Kelantan are flooded, preventing people from going to cast their ballots, there will be loss of votes.”

“In such a case, not all eligible voters, except those in the West Coast areas, will be able to cast their votes.”

“In such a situation, how will the EC determine who wins and who loses? The votes in the West Coast shouldn’t influence the country. How can we then say this is a free and fair election?” Santiago said. 

Santiago also said the EC must explain how it would use schools as polling centres when the same schools may also serve as flood evacuation centres.

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

“What if a flood occurs and the schools are being used as polling centres on that day?”

“It’s therefore crucial that the EC explains their contingency plans now and not decide on that day,” he said. 

Santiago has been urging the EC to reveal its flood mitigation plans should disaster strike and with all scheduled parliamentary sittings now cancelled, he called on the election body to make the plans public.  

Santiago also lambasted the EC for not replying to his two correspondence sent on October 3 and 10. 

“I sent letters to each of the EC commissioners and chairman asking them to provide details of their preparations and plans to deal with GE15 if there was a flood during the election period including polling day.    

“There was no reply nor acknowledgement from them,” he said. 

EC should provide assistance, not politicians

Polls watchdog Bersih called on the EC and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) to come up with contingency plans for different scenarios that may happen on the polling day.

Bersih chairman Thomas Fann said they have to announce to the public their course of action and measures taken to address the issue. 

“Would there be an extension of voting hours? Transportation assistance like boats? Mobile voting at flood relief centres? Postponement of election at affected constituencies? Postponement of the GE?

“If flood victims are relocated to relief centres, the EC should consider setting up mobile voting units at such centres or even postponing the polling day,” Fann said. 

Fann added that during an election, it should be the EC providing assistance to enable voters to cast their voters.

“Any relief efforts undertaken by the civil defence forces should not involve any politicians as that can be seen as campaigning using state resources,” he said. 

Fann claimed that people should not be deterred from voting even if it is raining on polling day. 

“This election is too important to not do anything but if their areas are flooded, they should listen to announcements on the television or radio as to any plans that the EC or government is making,” he said. 

Last year, eight out of the 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia were hit by floods in December as the country saw its heaviest rainfall in 100 years, according to officials. – October 23, 2022.