Welcome: Fahmi greeting Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao at the Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport. — Bernama
PUTRAJAYA: There will be no lockdown in Kuala Lumpur during the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits, though several key roads around the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) will be temporarily closed to ease traffic, says government spokesperson Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
“There will be no lockdown in Kuala Lumpur. Certain road closures will be implemented, and the routes have been announced.
“Only on Oct 26 will the area around KLCC be closed off,” he said at the weekly post-Cabinet briefing here yesterday.
The Communications Minister said the summit, scheduled from Oct 26 to Oct 28, will see the largest media turnout in its history.
He said more than 300 media personnel from Japan alone will be covering the event.
According to Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri, road closures and traffic diversions will be implemented in stages from Oct 26, affecting six major expressways and 25 main roads in the city.
“Among the affected routes are Lebuh KLIA, Elite Expressway, NKVE, Guthrie Expressway, North-South Expressway, Mex Expressway and KL-Seremban Highway, as well as main roads including Jalan Ampang, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Parlimen and Jalan Kuching,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the Cabinet has decided that the existing Education Ministry guidelines will continue to apply regarding the serving of alcohol at events held in school halls.
“The Cabinet agreed there will be no new guidelines on this matter. The Education Ministry will issue a statement,” he said.
Fahmi clarified that the government fully funds some Chinese vernacular schools, but not others.
“Some Chinese schools have community halls that are managed by the school management boards or are privately funded. The Education Ministry is aware of this, which is why the current guidelines on the serving of alcohol at events held in community halls will continue to apply,” he said.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said alcohol must not be served at any event held in schools, including those after school hours, and that the Education Ministry was reviewing regulations on the matter.
Fahmi also confirmed that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has received a report over a fake news article alleging that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar had ordered the closure of unregistered pondok schools in Kelantan and Kedah.
Separately, Fahmi urged Datuk Seri Muhammad Adlan Berhan – the son-in-law of former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin – to return and clear his name after reports surfaced that he was “living it up” in a Middle Eastern country despite being wanted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)for an alleged criminal breach of trust.
The Home Ministry has since confirmed that Muhammad Adlan’s passport has been revoked and an arrest warrant issued.
