ELECTION campaigns switched to aid efforts in several areas nationwide, as floods hit earlier than anticipated.

As of this morning, a total of 3,196 flood victims were in 28 temporary evacuation centres in six states, namely Perak, Selangor, Johor, Kelantan, Malacca and Penang.

Following the situation, candidates from Barisan Nasional (BN), Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) had to postpone their campaigning and ceramah, and instead concentrated their efforts on providing aid to the people.

Several candidates were seen wading through flood-waters to meet and offer aid to flood victims. One of them was Nurul Izzah Anwar, the PH candidate for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, who wore a baju kurung and a raincoat.

Other candidates in Selangor also made a shift in their campaigns. In Sungai Buloh, BN candidate and caretaker Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin postponed his election campaign to meet residents affected by the floods.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, who is the PH candidate for Gombak parliamentary, and Dr Halimah Ali, the PN candidate for Kapar, were among those who shelved their election campaigns to visit the flood-hit locations.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department had forecasted that the northeast monsoon will begin in mid-November and prevail until March next year, bringing with it heavy rains that can cause floods in low-lying places as well as king tides in the coastal areas.

Due to the uncertain weather, the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department has mobilised personnel and assets to several locations, especially along the coast and near rivers, to monitor the possibility of flood occurrence.

“Firefighters will be on standby due to the weather conditions, stagnant rainwater or rising water levels. We will use assets such as boats and transport trucks,” said department director Norazam Khamis when contacted.

In Pahang, Chong Sin Woon, the BN candidate for Raub, said MCA has a special team ready to be mobilised at any time to help the people in areas at risk of flooding to enable them to exercise their right to vote.

He acknowledged that floods or heavy rain on polling day on Saturday would, to some extent, influence the decision of electors whether to go out and cast their ballots.

“If it rains heavily, voters who are not staunch supporters of any party will not see the urgency to go out and vote. However, to encourage them to come out, we can send vehicles and provide umbrellas. We are ready for that,” he said.

Thomas Su Keong Siong, the PH candidate for the Ketari state seat in Pahang, said he believes that voter turnout will be low during floods. He also said that ease the burden of the people, PH will give preference to helping the flood victims.

“I hope there will be no floods although it is raining frequently now. Imagine if your house is flooded, will you have the mood to go out and vote? It will be selfish of us to ask the people to vote but not help them,” he said.

In Kelantan, state Umno liaison committee chairman Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub said the Kelantan BN machinery is ready with boats and food to assist the authorities in rescue operations and evacuation of flood victims.

Kelantan Civil Defence Force director Col (PA) Mohd Adzhar Mujab, also expressed the readiness of the force, said 1,349 officers, along with 14 trucks and 78 boats, were ready to be mobilised in the event of floods on polling day.

In Terengganu, 30 flood-risk locations have been identified in four districts, namely Kemaman, Dungun, Hulu Terengganu and Besut.

State Secretary Tengku Farok Hussin Tengku Abdul Jalil said RM2.5 million had been allocated for the provision of food and other necessities for flood victims. – Bernama, November 16, 2022.