Radzi: Schools identified for use as flood relief and voting centres

Photo: SAMUEL ONG/ The Star

PUTRAJAYA: Schools are ready to be used as voting centres as well as temporary flood relief centres to support national interests, says Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin.

He said the ministry has a list of suitable schools that can be used by central agencies in the event of floods and also for the upcoming 15th General Election (GE15).

ALSO READ: Public buildings and schools to be flood relief centres

"We support the usage of schools for national interest in the context of flood management and holding elections," he told reporters after the Wadah Aspirasi programme here on Friday (Sept 23).

Radzi noted, however, that floods can sometimes happen in unexpected places.

"In this context, central agencies can always request for schools not on the list to be used as relief centres," he said.

ALSO READ: Floods: Boarding schools, premises with proper facilities will be first choice for relief centres

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Aug 21 it was not conducive to hold GE15 during the flood season as many factors need to be considered.

He pointed out that schools are used as both voting centres and flood evacuation centres.

ALSO READ: KJ: Holding GE during monsoon not suitable

Khairy added that a lot of manpower would be needed to handle the election during the monsoon season.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Sept 17 he would announce the date of Parliament's dissolution soon to pave the way for GE15.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has forecast continuous heavy rain from mid-November onwards, possibly leading to major floods at the end of the month.

MetMalaysia expects the weather impact to be more significant given that the north-east monsoon will be prevalent during that period, with a high risk of continuous rain and large-scale flooding.