ELECTIONS have been held when the country was facing the annual year-end flood season, says Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions) Datuk Mastura Mohd Yazid.
“Based on records, the general election was held in December in 1999 while the Sarawak state polls were held on Dec 18, 2021.
“The special task force on floods held a meeting on Oct 3, which was chaired by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, where discussions were held on the possibility that the general election would be held during the northeast monsoon season.
“This task force will fine-tune the measures that need to be taken,” she told Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka).
Mastura said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had taken into consideration the views of agencies such as the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), Election Commission (EC) and Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) on the decision whether the situation was right to call for a general election.
Khoo wanted to know whether the Prime Minister had taken into consideration the views of agencies, including the EC, whether the polls should be held during the year-end floods.
On Sept 29, MetMalaysia director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said the country would enter the transitional phase to the northeast monsoon beginning Oct 3 until November.
The monsoon is between early November and March and is usually characterised by heavy showers and thunderstorms.
