PETALING JAYA: The 15th general election (GE15) should not be held during the northeast monsoon, says weather and disaster and weather management agencies.
Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) deputy director-general (Strategic and Technical) Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said that weather conditions are less than favourable due to the monsoon.
He added that floods have also occurred across various states recently.
“We shouldn’t take the risk as we know floods will occur (during the northeast monsoon). Even now, we are seeing floods in Johor, Melaka and Perak,” he said.
“In my opinion, weather conditions are generally unfavourable for GE15 to be held during this time,” he said at the National Climate Forum on Thursday (Oct 6).
Similarly, the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) deputy director-general (disaster and planning preparations) Jamil Derus Ahmad said any instances of GE15 being held during the upcoming monsoon will depend heavily on weather forecasts from MetMalaysia.
“The public should always refer to official channels such as Nadma and MetMalaysia to be better aware of weather conditions,” he said.
Their responses came after being asked on the suitability of GE15 being held during the upcoming monsoon season.
This comes amidst calls for GE15 to be held by this year, which also coincides with the northeast monsoon.
The northeast monsoon usually sets in beginning from November to March of the following year and sees increased rainfall throughout this period with major floods also occurring.
Separately, Mohd Hisham added that all states should be on guard for bad weather, not just theEast Coast states of the peninsula,
“If the conditions are right, the possibility of floods in other locations will always be present, as seen in the Klang Valley last year. If you live in flood-prone locations, make sure to always stay updated and be prepared in case you have to move (due to floods),” he said.
