CARETAKER prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob should have thought about the possibility of floods and established a contingency plan before calling for snap elections, DAP chairman Gobind Singh Deo said.

Gobind asked why the incumbent Bera lawmaker had not considered floods when his party Umno pressed for polls in November.

“Now that the election has started, you’re just starting to talk about it? What kind of government is this?” Gobind was quoted as saying in Kajang last night by The Vibes.

Gobind added that Malaysians deserve an explanation Ismail before he meets with the EC.

Yesterday Ismail had said it was up to the Election Commission (EC) to decide whether to go to the polls if the country was hit by massive floods.

“If major floods occur to the extent of preventing people from going out (to vote), then I will discuss with the EC to see if there are alternatives.

“We will discuss with MetMalaysia, the Disaster Management Committee, and the EC can also give its views. It is up to the EC if it wants to stop the election,” he said.

The monsoon season is expected to start on November 7 and last until March. It could result in flooding in low-lying and riverine areas.

Former Klang lawmaker Charles Santiago also slammed Ismail for not making contingency plans for the general election should floods strike.

He noted that Ismail had said that the government was prepared to handle floods.

“Now he (Ismail) says he will kickstart the conversation with the EC to look for alternatives if floods hit. Why wasn’t this discussed in the earlier meetings?” Santiago said in a statement. – November 7, 2022.